Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) - Pair of lamps in paper and black metal - 4N

Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988), Japanese-American designer. Pair of lamps in washi paper and black metal. Model 4N Signed on the lampshades. 1970s. In their original AKARI Light Sculpture box by Isamu Noguchi. Published in Europe by the Vitra company. Height: 51.5 cm. Base dimensions: 22x22 cm. Neck dimensions: 11.5x11.5 cm. Good condition, slight wear on the lampshades, wear on the box. *Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was a Japanese-American sculptor, designer, and landscape architect, considered one of the most versatile and influential artists of the 20th century. Throughout his life, he bridged aesthetic and philosophical gaps between Western avant-garde art and Japanese craft traditions, creating a universal body of work that merges sculpture, furniture, and architectural space. Born in Los Angeles to an American writer mother and a Japanese poet father, Isamu Noguchi spent his childhood in Japan before returning alone to the United States at the age of 13. This dual cultural identity, initially experienced as a rift, became the driving force of his creativity. After starting medical studies, he definitively turned to sculpture. In 1927, receiving a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship allowed him to settle in Paris, where he became the assistant to Constantin Brâncuși. The Romanian master imparted to him a sense of purity of lines, abstraction, and a sacred respect for raw materials, whether stone, wood, or metal. Upon returning to the United States, Noguchi refused to confine himself to traditional art galleries. For him, sculpture should integrate into everyday life and public space. He became a pioneer of landscape architecture by designing monumental urban parks, public squares, and children's playgrounds. His most famous achievements include the Peace Garden at UNESCO headquarters in Paris (1958) and the Sunken Garden in New York.