Isamu Noguchi was born in Los Angeles in 1904, the son of Japanese poet Yone Noguchi and American author Leonie Gilmour. Noguchi was educated at Columbia University and at the Leonardo da Vinci Art School in Florence, Italy. After graduating, he took a job as an assistant to the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi in Paris.
Noguchi also studied drawing in China and traveled to Japan to work with ceramics with the master Jinmatsu Uno. These international experiences in different cultural contexts would be reflected in Noguchi's work as a designer and artist.
Isamu Noguchi is considered one of the most important and critically acclaimed sculptors and designers of the 20th century, a universal talent with a unique creative oeuvre. He crossed the boundaries between art, design, theatre and architecture. Among Noguchi's earliest commercial works is the Akari lamp collection. The lamps are made from shoji paper and bamboo, among other materials, all with unique patterns. They combine Japanese aesthetics with Western modernism. Vitra produces the Akari lamps and the popular Coffee Table, which are examples of Noguchi's late work.
