Isamu Noguchi – 1904-1988

Although born in Los Angeles, Noguchi grew up in Japan, then studied sculpture in New York and worked as Constantin Brancusi’s assistant in Paris. In that city, he fell under the influence of the great modern sculptors Alberto Giacometti and Alexander Calder as well as the painters Picasso and Miró. Propelled by these influences, he went on to develop a sculptural style all his own, abstractions built on organic shapes, suggesting a harmonious relation to nature. His work was often integrated into modern buildings, and he designed entire sculptural gardens, bringing nature into the often relentlessly mechanical modern scene.