Isamo Noguchi

Isamo Noguchi was born in 1904 in Los Angelis to an American mother and Japanese father. He is considered to be one of the most influential and acclaimed sculptors of the past century. His style is characterized as international since it is influenced by his numerous travels and life, split between Japan and the USA.

He studied pre-medicine at Columbia University while attending an evening sculpture course, which soon inspired him to leave medicine for good and dedicate his professional career to sculpture. From 1927 to 1929 he worked for Constantin Brancusi in Paris, since he received John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. While in France, he migrated towards abstraction, combining finished pieces with a sense of emotional expressiveness and mystery. His major commissioned work in the States includes a sculpture for the Associated Press in Rockefeller Centre, New York in 1938. This put the beginning of a trend of public commissions recognizing the significance of sculpture as a social element. His later career development includes mass production of his interior design pieces, the most notable example probably being his famous glass table produced by Herman Miller. In 1985 he opened the The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum in Long Island City. A year later he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale. He received numerous awards and recognitions for his outstanding work in the field of sculpture.