Unfolding Noguchi

One of the visionaries of 20th-century American modernism, Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) developed a uniquely open-ended, and forward-looking perspective on global culture. Working with a deep sense of social purpose across a wide range of disciplines, Noguchi was a connoisseur of ingenuity. He regarded craft and technology (representing the past and the future) as two sides of the same coin and natural allies in sculpting our world for the better.
This exhibition provides insight into his genius and artistic exploration of form and material over his sixty year career. From bronze, granite, and aluminum to his paper and bamboo “Akari” light sculptures, Noguchi pushed the boundaries of what sculpture is and how it is integrated into daily life. Noguchi was interested in blurring the boundaries of art and design, as evident in “Akari,” “For me, function was only an initial consideration; my main purpose has always been art as it relates to life. I work with the gamut of possibilities. Inherent in “Akari” are lightness and fragility. They seem to offer a magical unfolding away from the material world.”
Noguchi spent his entire life living and working in the boundary layers between: between disciplines, between cultures, between technical traditions and techniques. Believing that “To be hybrid anticipates the future,” Isamu Noguchi was a one-person embodiment of the power of diversity.

This exhibition has been organized by Cameron Art Museum in collaboration with The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York.
Sponsored in part by Japan Foundation, New York

Image Credit: Portrait of Isamu Noguchi in Long Island City Studio, 1966. Photo by Jack Mitchell. © The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS)