Noguchi, Isamu (1904–1988)

US sculptor and designer. He was recognized for the serene, expressive power of his abstracted, organic forms, for example Khmer 1962 (Garden of National Museum, Jerusalem). Noguchi has also designed stage sets, notably for the Martha Graham Dance Company 1935–66, and sculpture gardens in such major cities as New York and Tokyo.

The son of a Japanese father and American mother, Noguchi spent his childhood in Japan and made frequent return visits. He went to Paris in the 1920s and from 1927–29 was assistant to Brancusi, whose example made a lasting impact on his work. From early sculptures in lively, biomorphic shapes cut from sheet metal, he turned to carving in stone in the 1940s and also worked in bronze and marble. His sculpture gardens display a sure grasp of his Western/Oriental heritage.