Isamu Noguchi Furniture
A sculptor, painter, ceramicist and furniture and lighting designer, Isamu Noguchi was one of the most prolific and protean creative forces of the 20th century and a key figure in the development of organic modernism. Noguchi’s sculptures and designs — his chairs and tables as well as his timeless Akari lamp and other lighting fixtures — share a common spirit: one of lyrical abstraction, tempo and flow and harmonious balance.
Noguchi was born in Los Angeles to an American mother and Japanese father, and spent most of his childhood in Japan. He returned to the United States at age 13, went to high school in Indiana and enrolled at Columbia University to study medicine. At the same time, he took night courses in sculpture.
Within three months, Noguchi left college to pursue art full time. Noguchi was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1927 and traveled to Paris to work under Constantin Brancusi. It marked a turning point. Inspired by Brancusi, Noguchi embraced abstraction and began to sculpt in the expressive, rhythmic style that would be the hallmark of his work.
Once back in New York, Noguchi was introduced to design by what would become a lifelong collaboration creating sets for choreographer Martha Graham. His first industrial designs were in Bakelite: the sleek Measured Time kitchen timer created circa 1932, and his famed Zenith Radio Nurse intercom, from 1937.
Ten years later, Herman Miller introduced Noguchi’s now-iconic glass-topped coffee table with an articulated wooden base. His washi paper and bamboo Akari light sculptures, handmade in Japan, debuted in 1951. In the late 1950s, Noguchi designed for Knoll, creating such pieces as his dynamic Cyclone table and rocking stool.
For collectors, Noguchi’s furniture and lighting designs remain his most accessible work — they have the same power and presence that Noguchi brought to his art.
Find vintage Isamu Noguchi floor lamps, table lamps, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1940s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Wool, Walnut
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Uranium Glass, Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Brutalist Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Steel
1950s Italian Art Deco Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Velvet, Macassar
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Art Deco Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Aluminum
Early 2000s American Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Glass, Wood
1950s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Hardwood, Paint
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Glass, Cherry
1970s European Post-Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Glass, Wood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Uranium Glass, Cherry
1940s American Japonisme Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Cherry, Fiberglass, Parchment Paper
1940s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1940s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Walnut, Wool
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Glass, Walnut
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Fiberglass
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Birch
1940s American Scandinavian Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Metal
1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Metal
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Walnut
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Fiberglass, Wood, Cherry
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi Furniture
Metal