Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Anglo-Japanese Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Anglo-Japanese Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
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21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Anglo-Japanese Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Anglo-Japanese Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
15th Century and Earlier Indian Medieval Antique Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Sandstone
Mid-18th Century Indian Agra Antique Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Sandstone
1880s Japanese Anglo-Japanese Antique Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Organic Modern Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Organic Material, Wood
Mid-20th Century Japanese Taisho Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Stone
15th Century and Earlier Indian Archaistic Antique Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Sandstone
Early 20th Century Japanese Folk Art Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Stone
2010s Ukrainian Minimalist Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Glass, Ceramic
Early 20th Century Edo Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Stone
19th Century Chinese Antique Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Organic Modern Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Limestone
1950s Japanese Anglo-Japanese Vintage Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Anglo-Japanese Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Anglo-Japanese Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
1950s Japanese Anglo-Japanese Vintage Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
1950s Japanese Anglo-Japanese Vintage Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Anglo-Japanese Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
1950s Japanese Anglo-Japanese Vintage Isamu Noguchi Sculptures and Carvings
Metal