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Isamu Noguchi (November 17, 1904 - December 30, 1988) was a notable 20th
century artist.
Isamu was born in Los Angeles to an American writer, Leonie Gilmour, and
a Japanese poet, Yonejiro Noguchi, on November 17, 1904. In 1906 he moved
with his mother to join his father in Japan, where he spent the rest of his
childhood.
In 1918 he was sent to the United States for schooling. He graduated from
La Porte High School in La Porte, Indiana in 1922.
In 1924 Noguchi dropped out of Columbia University to pursue sculpture
full-time. In the ensuing years he gained in prominence and acclaim, leaving
his large-scale works in many of the world's major cities. Such works
include:
- a bridge in Hiroshima's Peace Park
- sculpture for First National City Bank Building in Fort Worth, Texas
- Sunken Garden for Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale
University in New Haven, Connecticut
- Billy Rose Sculpture Garden, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
- Sunken Garden for Chase Manhattan Bank Plaza in New York, New York
- Gardens for the IBM headquarters in Armonk, New York
- Kodomo no Kuni, a children's playground in Tokyo, Japan
- Dodge Fountain and Philip A. Hart Plaza in Detroit, Michigan (created
in collaboration with Shoji Sadao)
His works were not limited to sculptures and gardens. He designed stage
sets for various Martha Graham productions; he designed some mass-produced
objects such lamps and furniture some of which are still manufactured and
sold today. His work lives on around the world and at the Isamu Noguchi
Garden Museum in New York City.
His final project was the design of a 400-acre park for Sapporo, Japan.
Designed in 1988 before his death, Moerenuma Park is under construction as
of 2003.
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