Though he was born in Los Angeles, Isamu Noguchi had the rare benefit of living and traveling all around the world, experience which undoubtedly influenced how he matured as an artist, designer and landscape architect. Drawing on his childhood experiences living in India, Paris and Japan, as well as studies in England and China, Noguchi developed a unique and innovative style, incorporating both rural craft traditions and technological design elements.
Noguchi’s constant investigation into the nature and use of form and space yielded a number of groundbreaking public art and urban planning designs. Since he had been trained as a cabinetmaker in Japan, it was only natural that Noguchi would eventually turn his creative attention to designing furniture. Designing for Knoll and Herman Miller in the 1940’s, he developed a reputation for unique, organic-shaped furnishings that echoed the biomorphic elements of his sculpture work. The very popular Noguchi Coffee Table, designed for Herman Miller in 1945, is a result of this phase of Noguchi’s dynamic career, and it is an excellent example of organic and technological influences on his style.
Fortunately for his admirers, the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum was established in the 1980’s in Long Island City, NY, to permanently display a variety of this prolific artist’s work.
FormDecor’s special selection of authentic Noguchi furniture is available to rent HERE.
