Isamu Noguchi

While best known for his sculptures, Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) also designed stage sets, landscapes, and mass-produced furniture. Because Noguchi approached these different fields as if they were sculpture, he extended the classical definition of sculpture and blurred the lines between fine art and utilitarian design. Noguchi wished to infuse art with practical and social relevance and to create everyday objects that were both useful and beautiful.

Born Sam Gilmour in Los Angeles to American Leonie Gilmour and Japanese poet Yone Noguchi, Isamu Noguchi grew up in Japan and was educated in the United States. His interdisciplinary and intercultural approach to art was influenced not only by his exposure to western modernism and his time in Paris assisting sculptor Constantin Brancusi, but also by his travels to Asia where no distinction is made between fine and applied arts.

Beginning in 1935, Noguchi collaborated with choreographer Martha Graham for over 30 years. During the 1940s and 1950s, he designed sculpturally-shaped chairs and tables for Herman Miller and Knoll. Applying traditional Japanese handcrafting techniques, he also created his famous paper Akari lamps - light sculptures for everyday use. Later in life, Noguchi worked on larger designs, including gardens and fountains, which he viewed as a single sculpture. Using water, flora, carved and natural stones, he created spaces that appeal to the senses and respect both nature and culture.

For more information on the life and art of Isamu Noguchi, visit the Isamu Noguchi Foundation website, and DiscoverNikkei.org.