Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988)

Isamu Noguchi was born in Los Angeles. He was one of the twentieth century’s most important and critically acclaimed sculptors. He was an internationalist, traveled extensively throughout his life. In his later years he maintained studios both in Japan and New York. In 1951 he began to design the Akari Light Sculptures handcrafted from traditional washi paper by Japanese artisans. Akari is the Japanese word for light — these lamps were inspired by Japanese paper lanterns. The Akari pieces are a perfect example of form and function.