Isamu Noguchi

Isamu Noguchi, born in Los Angeles in 1904, was a Japanese-born American architect, designer, sculptor and set designer. He studied at Columbia University and the Leonardo Da Vinci School of Art and then established his first independent studio, working alongside Constantin Brancusi in Paris and presenting his first exhibition in New York. In later years he traveled to China to continue his studies in brush drawing and to Japan for those in clay working. After the war he came into contact with Ikebana, or the ancient Japanese art of flower arrangement, which gave him an important interest in Zen gardens and an openness to monumental art. He returned to America and undertook naturalistic experimentation, becoming a world-renowned figure for designing public spaces, such as The Peace Garden in Paris, UNESCO's headquarters. The creation of his works originates from materials, made with a strong formal and sculptural simplicity. He passed away in New York City in 1988.