Early Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture, Model 3A Table Lamp
About the Item
- Creator:Isamu Noguchi (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 23 in (58.42 cm)Diameter: 11 in (27.94 cm)
- Power Source:Plug-in
- Voltage:220-240v
- Lampshade:Included
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Centreville, VA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8365237346362
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 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: 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Centreville, VA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture, Model 31N Ceiling LampBy Isamu NoguchiLocated in Centreville, VAAkari Light Sculptures by Isamu Noguchi are considered icons of 1950s modern design. Designed by Noguchi beginning in 1951 and handmade for a half century by the original manufacture...Category
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBamboo, Paper
- Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture, Model 36N Ceiling LampBy Isamu NoguchiLocated in Centreville, VAAkari Light Sculptures by Isamu Noguchi are considered icons of 1950s modern design. Designed by Noguchi beginning in 1951 and handmade for a half century by the original manufacture...Category
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBamboo, Paper
- Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture, Model 55A Ceiling LampBy Isamu NoguchiLocated in Centreville, VAAkari Light Sculptures by Isamu Noguchi are considered icons of 1950s modern design. Designed by Noguchi beginning in 1951 and handmade for a half century by the original manufacture...Category
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBamboo, Paper
- Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture, Model 70EN Ceiling LampBy Isamu NoguchiLocated in Centreville, VAAkari Light Sculptures by Isamu Noguchi are considered icons of 1950s modern design. Designed by Noguchi beginning in 1951 and handmade for a half century by the original manufacture...Category
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBamboo, Paper
- Vintage Isamu Noguchi Akari UF4-J1 floor lamp, 1980sBy Isamu NoguchiLocated in Centreville, VAAkari Light Sculptures by Isamu Noguchi are considered icons of 1950s modern design. Designed by Noguchi beginning in 1951 and handmade for a half century by the original manufacturer in Gifu, Japan, the paper lanterns are a harmonious blend of Japanese handcraft and modernist form. The lamps are created from handmade washi paper and bamboo ribbing, supported by a metal frame. Noguchi adopted the term Akari, a Japanese word meaning ‘light,’ with associations to both illumination and weightlessness. As part of the marketing for Akari, Noguchi came up with a logo that combined a stylized sun and crescent moon like the Japanese ideograph it is based on (明). The ideograph became synonymous with Akari, featured on the early envelopes and packaging and in the form of a red stamp at the base of each lantern. Early 1980s production. Isamu Noguchi signed...Category
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBamboo, Paper
- Serge Mouille One Arm Floor LampBy Serge MouilleLocated in Centreville, VASerge Mouille’s Floor Lamp (1952) has a kinetic, sculptural aesthetic that evokes a sense of movement in space. All the Mouille hallmarks are here: the sensual form of the reflector, the masterful metalwork, the refined lines of the steel tubing, and the washer and six-sided screw hardware. Bulbs (not included): E26 base, 60W max. Made in France. Biomorphic minimalism — A silversmith by training, Serge Mouille claimed his angular lights were a reaction to the “too complicated” Italian models flooding the market. The Floor Lamp exemplifies his pared-down elegance, with slender legs and cocked heads...Category
2010s French Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Akari Model 3A Light Sculpture by Isamu NoguchiBy Isamu Noguchi, AkariLocated in Glendale, CAAkari model 3A light sculpture by Isamu Noguchii. The shade is made from handmade washi paper, wood and bamboo ribs with authentic Noguchi Akari manufacturer's stamp. Akari light scu...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Early Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture, Model 21NBy Isamu NoguchiLocated in Brooklyn, NYTWO AVAILABLE. SOLD SEPERATELY. Isamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture. Model 21N. Noguchi’s Akari series was started in 1951, model 21N was designed in 1968. This is an early model, ...Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBamboo, Paper
- Early Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture, Model 23NBy Isamu NoguchiLocated in Brooklyn, NYIsamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture. Model 23N. Noguchi’s Akari series started in 1951, model 23N was designed in 1968. This is an early model, marked with iconic red sun and moon i...Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBamboo, Paper
- Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture Model 1PBy Isamu NoguchiLocated in Brooklyn, NYIsamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture. Model 1P. Early model, marked with iconic red sun and moon ideogram. Hand-made form by Ozeki Company, ...Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Isamu Noguchi Model 14A Akari Light SculptureBy Isamu Noguchi, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1, AkariLocated in Glendale, CAIsamu Noguchi Model 14A Akari Light Sculpture. The shade is made from handmade washi paper and bamboo ribs with Noguchi Akari manufacturer's stam...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Anglo-Japanese Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Akari Model 9A Light Sculpture by Isamu NoguchiBy Isamu Noguchi, AkariLocated in Glendale, CAAkari model 9A light sculpture by Isamu Noguchii. The shade is made from handmade washi paper, wood and bamboo ribs with authentic Noguchi Akari manufacturer's stamp. Akari light scu...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How Noguchi Elevated Ashtrays to Objets d’Art
Smoking might have fallen out of fashion, but these ashtrays have enduring design appeal.
Daniel Rozensztroch Can’t Live with Enough Beautifully Useful Objects
The French designer, stylist and creative director offers an inside look at the cabinets of curiosities he calls home in Paris and Nice.