Isamu Noguchi Akari 31NW on Single Stem Base T3, Ozeki, 1951
About the Item
- Creator:Isamu Noguchi (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 74.81 in (190 cm)Diameter: 23.63 in (60 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Series started in 1951
- Condition:All our Akari are very early models. Historically important, all our Akari are showed to our spe. restorer to decide if yes or no we have to restore it to respect its integrity. To have more information on one particular piece, please contact us.
- Seller Location:Lille, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5871233805792
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 — 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.
You May Also Like
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal, Steel
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Parchment Paper
20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1950s Japanese Minimalist Chandeliers and Pendants
Bamboo, Paper
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Metal
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Bamboo, Paper
Late 20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal
20th Century Japanese Modern Floor Lamps
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1950s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Cast Stone
Still Thinking About These?
All Recently ViewedRead More
A New Exhibition Spotlights the Nuance of 1940s Art and Design
Works by a range of designers and artists prove that the constraints of the time didn't stifle creativity.
How Noguchi Elevated Ashtrays to Objets d’Art
Smoking might have fallen out of fashion, but these ashtrays have enduring design appeal.