Akari Model 7A Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi
View Similar Items
Akari Model 7A Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi
About the Item
- Creator:Isamu Noguchi (Designer),Akari (Maker)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 13 in (33.02 cm)Depth: 13 in (33.02 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 2010s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent. Single socket 40 watt max standard incandescent bulb (higher with LED).
- Seller Location:Glendale, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1447220460572
Akari Light Sculpture
It was a trip to Japan in the spring of 1951 that inspired artist and designer Isamu Noguchi (1904–88) to create the Akari light sculpture. Noguchi was passing through the city of Gifu, in central Japan, and observed a traditional nighttime festival in which fishermen use cormorants to help them catch fish. Each boat was equipped with a chochin lantern to light its way. Noguchi — one of the 20th century’s most inventive artists — was enraptured with the beauty of these traditional decorative lamps, which were made locally from mulberry bark and bamboo.
The artist met with Gifu’s mayor, who explained that he was seeking a way to reinvigorate his city’s lantern industry. Aiming to bring the chochin’s traditional design into the 20th century, Noguchi made multiple prototypes with an incandescent bulb in place of a candle. He named the updated lantern Akari, which means both illumination and lightness in Japanese. Noguchi debuted his Akari light sculpture at an exhibition of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in Kamakura in 1952. It caught on immediately, not only as a piece of art but also as a functional design.
Since 1951, Noguchi’s Akari lanterns have been handcrafted in Gifu. Fabricators stretch bamboo ribbing across molded wood forms, then glue washi paper — made from the bark of the mulberry tree — to the inside and outside of the resulting frame. Once the glue dries, the shape is set, and the internal wood form can be disassembled and removed. The lanterns are collapsible, a traditional feature that Noguchi insisted on keeping. They can thus be shipped flat around the world in shallow boxes or slender envelopes, and then easily unpacked and installed. This feature contributes to the sculpture’s practicality. As Noguchi was fond of saying, “All you require to start a home are a room, a tatami and Akari."
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.
- Akari Model 7A Light Sculpture by Isamu NoguchiBy Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1, Isamu NoguchiLocated in Glendale, CAAkari model 7A light sculpture by Isamu Noguchii. The shade is made from handmade washi paper, wood and bamboo ribs with authentic Noguchi Akari manufacturer's...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Akari Model XP1 Light Sculpture by Isamu NoguchiBy Akari, Isamu NoguchiLocated in Glendale, CAAkari model XP1 light sculpture by Isamu Noguchi. The shade is made from handmade washi paper and bamboo ribs with Noguchi Akari manufacturer's stamp. Akari light sculptures by Isamu...Category
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Akari Model 3A Light Sculpture by Isamu NoguchiBy Akari, Isamu NoguchiLocated 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
- Akari Model 2A Light Sculpture by Isamu NoguchiBy Akari, Isamu NoguchiLocated in Glendale, CAAkari model 2A 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
- Akari Model 9A Light Sculpture by Isamu NoguchiBy Akari, Isamu NoguchiLocated 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
- Akari Model 20n Light Sculpture by Isamu NoguchiBy Isamu Noguchi, AkariLocated in Glendale, CAAkari Model 20N light sculpture by Isamu Noguchi. The shade is made from handmade washi paper and bamboo ribs with Noguchi Akari manufacturer's stamp. ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Isamu Noguchi Akari 7A Table LampBy Isamu NoguchiLocated in Dronten, NLModel number 7A table or floor lamp by Isamu Noguchi for Akari. Original version manufactured by Ozeki & co in Japan. Rice paper, enameled metal. Retains manufacturer's original st...Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Vintage Akari 4N Light Sculpture Lamp by Isamu NoguchiBy Isamu Noguchi, AkariLocated in Chalk Hill, PAVintage Akari 4N light sculpture lamp by Isamu Noguchi. Late 20th century "Gemini" model. Shade is in overall good vintage condition with aging spots throughout. The Akari lamps prov...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture, Model 3XBy Isamu NoguchiLocated in Dallas, TXThis vintage Akari Light Sculpture designed by Isamu Noguchi is an icon of 1950s modern design: a harmonious blend of Japanese handcraft and modernist form. Stamped ‘Sun and Moon’ ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- 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
- Vintage Akari Model 1N Light Sculpture Table Lamp By Isamu Noguchi, Japan 1980sBy Isamu Noguchi, AkariLocated in ABCOUDE, UTAkari model 1N light sculpture by Isamu Noguchi. The shade is made from handmade washi paper and bamboo ribs with Noguchi Akari manufacturer’s stamp. Akari light sculptures by Isamu ...Category
Vintage 1970s Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel
- Isamu Noguchi Model 7A Akari Light Sculpture Handcrafted by Ozeki, JapanBy Vitra, Isamu Noguchi, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1Located in Amsterdam, NLIconic Akari light sculpture known as Model 7A designed by Isamu Noguchi and handcrafted from traditional washi paper and bamboo. Each Akari lamp shade is meticulously crafted by han...Category
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsBamboo, Paper
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Iconic Furniture Gives These 1stDibs 50 Rooms Timeless Appeal
A well-made armchair, table or pendant lamp can afford both comfort and convenience. An exceptional one can transform a space. See how the honorees on this year’s 1stDibs 50 list of top interior designers used standout pieces to create the kind of rooms you never want to leave.
How Noguchi Elevated Ashtrays to Objets d’Art
Smoking might have fallen out of fashion, but these ashtrays have enduring design appeal.