Object Details
Artist
Isamu Noguchi, born Los Angeles, CA 1904-died New York City 1988
Gallery Label
Believing that sculpture should be "an equivalent for natural forms and forces," Isamu Noguchi explored the sun's vital power in this massive marble. He derived its shape from a millstone, which, "inverted and elevated, becomes a sun-like image." Born in California to an American mother and Japanese father, Noguchi spent most of his childhood in Japan before continuing his education in the American Midwest, New York City, and Paris. This piece reflects his internationalist life and perspective, a blend of the biomorphic abstraction of European surrealism and traditional Japanese stonework.
Publication Label
Believing that sculpture should be "an equivalent for natural forms and forces," Isamu Noguchi explored the sun's vital power in this massive marble. He derived its shape from a millstone which, "inverted and elevated, becomes a sun-like image."
Smithsonian American Art Museum: Commemorative Guide. Nashville, TN: Beckon Books, 2015.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist
Copyright
© The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York
Date
1967
Object number
1969.158
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Arni marble
Dimensions
40 7/8 x 39 3/8 x 16 7/8 in. (103.8 x 100.0 x 42.8 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Abstract
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1969.158