Isamu Noguchi

1904-1988

Isamu Noguchi believed the sculptor's task was to shape space, to give it order and meaning, and that art should "disappear." Perhaps it was his dual heritage--his father was a Japanese poet, his mother a Scottish-American writer--that resulted in his way of looking at the world with an eye for "oneness." His range of projects included playgrounds and plazas, furniture and gardens, the stone-carved busts, and Akari paper lights. He also designed numerous stage sets for dancer-choreographer Martha Graham. Noguchi died in 1988 after a brilliant career that spanned more than six decades.