Isamu Noguchi for Ozeki

ISAMU NOGUCHI (Los Angeles, U.S., 1904 – New York, U.S., 1988) for Ozeki.
“Akari-L” ceiling lamp, 1st edition, 1951.
Washi paper, bamboo, and metal.
Comes with the original packaging.
Measurements: 180 x 25 cm.
The Akari Model L pendant lamp, designed in 1951 by the Japanese-American sculptor and designer Isamu Noguchi, is one of the most iconic pieces of 20th-century design. Handcrafted from Japanese washi paper and bamboo rings, it stands out for its elongated cylindrical structure and delicate pleated texture, which casts a warm, diffused light.
Its origins date back to Noguchi’s visit to the city of Gifu, renowned for its tradition of making paper lanterns (chochin). Amid a crisis in this industry following World War II, the designer was invited to reinterpret this craft from a contemporary perspective. Inspired by the lanterns used during the traditional cormorant fishing festival on the Nagara River, he created the Akari collection, whose name means both “light” and “lightness” in Japanese. This dual meaning captures the essence of pieces that blend traditional craftsmanship with modern design, making them a timeless benchmark in international design.
Isamu Noguchi trained as a cabinetmaker in Japan in 1917. In 1923, he began studying medicine at Columbia University in New York, but since he wanted to be a sculptor, he attended evening classes at the Leonardo da Vinci School in the same city. He eventually abandoned his medical studies and was appointed assistant to the director of the art school. In 1927, Noguchi received a Guggenheim Fellowship that allowed him to travel to Paris, where he worked for two years as an assistant to the sculptor Constantin Brancusi (1876–1957) and studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Around 1930, Noguchi spent several months in Beijing and also traveled to Japan, where he discovered Zen gardens. After returning to New York in 1932, he focused on sculpture, and by the end of that decade he began designing furniture and objects. His work, as both a sculptor and a designer, is currently represented in some of the world’s most important museums, including MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Guggenheim in New York; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.; and others. He also has his own museum in Long Island City, New York.