Akari BB1-30DL lamp

Isamu Noguchi, artist

1904–1988

Akari BB1-30DL lamp, designed 1951

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: metal; bamboo; paper

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 80 x 19.5 x 18.5 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 31 1/2 x 7 11/16 x 7 5/16 in

Credit line: Gift of Sam and Connie Perkins Collection

Accession number: 2021.0146.a,b

On display: Lee Study Center

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Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi created these lamps in 1951 after visiting Gifu, a Japanese city famous for its mulberry paper and bamboo lanterns. Akari 明かりmeans “light” or “glow” in Japanese, but Noguchi also intended for the word to conjure a sense of lightness. While designing Akari, Noguchi considered light as a sculptural medium. These lamps are both functional furnishings and art objects. Made in Japan using traditional techniques, the geometric simplicity of the lamps evokes a minimalist sensibility.