Noguchi, Isamu (1904-1988), was an American sculptor whose work represents a wide variety of styles. Noguchi said that he was “suspicious of the whole business of style.” He called style “a form of inhibition.”
Noguchi worked in nearly every sculptural material, avoiding such processes as casting, welding, or painting. Almost all his work has no recognizable subject matter. Noguchi sought to preserve the nature of the sculptural material. He was intrigued by problems of weight, mass, and tension, which he used as themes.
Noguchi was born in Los Angeles on Nov. 17,1904, of an American mother and a well-known Japanese poet and scholar. He lived in Japan from the age of 2 until he was 13. Noguchi gave up medical studies at Columbia University to return to sculpture, his earlier ambition. In the late 1920’s, he studied in Paris with Constantin Brancusi, who had a strong influence on his work. Noguchi designed furniture and settings for ballets. He also collaborated with architects in planning gardens, playgrounds, and bridges. He died on Dec. 30, 1988.
