Akari, floor light, model T3-31N
(c. 1969) {shade designed}; (c. 1979) {stand designed}
- Medium
- Japanese paper, bamboo, porcelain, cast iron, electrical components
- Measurements
- 190.5 × 32.6 cm diameter
- Place/s of Execution
- Gifu, Japan
- Inscription
- inscribed in brush and red ink u.c.: (sun) (crescent moon)
- Accession Number
- 2023.587
- Department
- International Decorative Arts
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, NGV Supporters of Decorative Arts, 2023
© Isamu Noguchi/Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia - Gallery location
- Level 3, NGV International
- About this work
-
In 1951, following a visit to Gifu and the Ozeki manufactory for traditional paper lanterns, or chōchin, Isamu Noguchi recognised the potential for creating contemporary light sculptures that could be incorporated into the domestic living environment. Noguchi’s ideas for sculpture were uninhibited by conventional boundaries and he experimented with new designs, producing his first range of lighting designs, or sculptures, the following year. He called them Akari, meaning illumination but also implying a sense of lightness.
