Isamu Noguchi
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 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, he left college to pursue art full time. Noguchi was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1927 and travelled 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: a sleek clock-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. As you will see on 1stDibs, they have the same power and presence that Noguchi brought to his art.
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1990s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Bamboo, Paper
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal, Iron
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Bamboo, Paper
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Chrome
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Chrome, Iron
1980s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Aluminium
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1990s British Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Anglo-Japanese Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1960s Japanese Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Steel, Chrome, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Steel
Early 2000s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1990s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Steel
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Chrome
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Steel, Chrome
20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Chrome
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Chrome
Early 2000s European Modern Isamu Noguchi
Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1940s American Japonisme Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Cherry, Fibreglass, Parchment Paper
1980s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
Mid-20th Century Isamu Noguchi
Cherry
1970s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1940s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 2000s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Steel
20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Steel, Chrome
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Bamboo, Paper
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Iron
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Isamu Noguchi
Metal
Isamu Noguchi furniture for sale on 1stDibs
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