Noguchi Collection
Cylinder Lamp 1944 The work of the Japanese-American artist and designer Isamu Noguchi is extraordinarily multi-faceted. In addition to sculptures, he also created stage sets, furniture, lighting, interiors, public spaces and gardens. As a sculptor, he was not only interested in materials and forms, but also in the spatial effect of objects and even in the design of space itself. It was his intention to create artworks with practical and social relevance. Noguchi's work left a lasting mark on 1950s design. Prismatic Table 1957 Since 2002, the Vitra Design Museum has produced reeditions of Noguchi's designs in co-operation with the Isamu Noguchi Foundation, New York. Several of these models are represented in the Collection of the Vitra Design Museum. Tea Cup 1952 Knife, Fork & Spoon 1952 Coffee Table 1944 Freeform Sofa 1946 Rocking Stools 1954
Cylinder Lamp The three-legged Cylinder Lamp with its lampshade made of transparent plastic and organically shaped wooden legs is one of Isamu Noguchi s first lighting designs. Originally made as a present for his sister, the luminaire went into serial production in 1945 and became a trendsetting and often-copied success. Prismatic Table The small Prismatic Table was Noguchi's first furniture design intended for serial production. Made of bent aluminium sheeting, it was created for Alcoa (Aluminum Company of America), who wanted to demonstrate new applications of its primary product. Noguchi s own motivation for this design can be traced to his previous experimentation with sheet metal (particularly brass sheeting), which began during his work with Brancusi in Paris.
Tea Cup Knife, Fork & Spoon Although Tea Cup reveals the formal language of modern design, it is actually based on an ancient Japanese terracotta cup that was in Noguchi s possession. With this tea cup and saucer Noguchi succeeded in creating a sculptural object that in a unique manner blended western Modernism with the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The fork, knife, and tea spoon, which presumably were created around the same time, demonstrate how Isamu Noguchi should be seen rather as a sculptor than a designer. Coffee Table Noguchi designed the first version of this table, with a glass top resting on interconnected rosewood supports, for the private residence of MoMA president A. Conger Goodyear during the 1930s. In a modified design from 1944, which reflected his preoccupation with sculptural, biomorphic structures, Noguchi transformed the original idea into a base consisting of two identical wooden elements, one of which is reversed and pinned to the other at a right angle. The Coffee Table has been produced for the US market by Herman Miller since 1947; the Vitra Design Museum began production for the European market in 2002. It is regarded today as one of Noguchi s best-known designs. Table top with etched signature, rounded edges.
Freeform Sofa Noguchi s sculptural idiom gains full expression in this sofa, which clearly distinguishes itself from other designs of the same period. The sofa and ottoman seem almost like a greatly enlarged sculpture of flat, rounded river stones; yet at the same time, their slender organic forms are graceful and vigorous. Noguchi emphasised this effect with thin, but extremely comfortable upholstery padding and a choice of cover fabrics in natural colours. The Freeform Sofa and companion Ottoman were produced around 1950 in limited number. Today, the few remaining pieces achieve record prices at auction. Since 2002, the group has been produced by the Vitra Design Museum as a fully authentic re-edition. The sofa is suitable not only for use in the living room, but also in lobbies, hotels and retail shops.
Programme features All measurements in millimetres and inches Freeform Sofa and Ottoman Re-edition Vitra Design Museum. Solid wood frame, upholstered. Removable cover in Soft fabric. Legs are available optionally in maple, natural finish or walnut stain, depending on colour of upholstery fabric. Coffee Table Vitra Design Museum re-edition. Frame of solid black ash, walnut or maple. Table top made of 19 mm thick glass with etched signature, rounded edges. Prismatic Table Re-edition Vitra Design Museum. Aluminium corpus, powder-coated finish in black or white. Also suitable for outdoor use. Freeform Sofa 720 28 1 /4 1300 51 1 /4 3000 118 1200 47 1 /4 710 28 380 15 Rocking Stool Re-edition Vitra Design Museum. Stool in two sizes. Slightly rounded seat and base elements made of maple, natural colour or walnut stain. Connecting element with diagonal struts made of chrome-plated steel rod. Soft Maple Maple stained walnut-colour Tea Cup Ceramic Knife, Fork & Spoon Highly polished stainless steel. Cylinder Lamp Plastic, maple legs, stained cherry-colour. 930 36 1 /2 Black ash Walnut Maple 1280 50 1 /2 400 15 3 /4 Coffee Table 410 16 1 /4 375 14 3 /4 Prismatic Table Maple Maple stained walnut-colour Ø 360 Ø14 1 /4 Ø 360 Ø14 1 /4 425 16 3 /4 Rocking Stool 250 9 3 /4 Deviations in colour are possible due to the printing process. 400 15 3 /4 Ø180 Ø7 Cylinder Lamp
Rocking Stool During his entire lifetime, Noguchi alternated between East and West. After returning from Japan in 1954, he presented the design for a Rocking Stool to US furniture manufacturer Hans Knoll. Its form evokes the hourglass shape of African stools. Although Noguchi originally wanted to make the stool out of polyurethane, a new plastic, he ultimately decided on a combination of more traditional materials: wood for the seat and foot, and chrome-plated steel rods for the central support.
Vitra International AG, Birsfelden, CH Vitra Ges.m.b.H., Wien, A NV Vitra Belgium SA, Diegem, B Vitra AG, Birsfelden, Showroom: Zürich, CH Vitra koncept, s.r.o., Praha, CZ Vitra GmbH, Weil am Rhein, Showroom: Frankfurt, D Vitra Hispania S.A., Madrid, Showroom: Barcelona, E, Lisboa, P Vitra, Paris, F Vitra Ltd., London, GB Vitra International AG, Budapest, HU Vitra International AG, Mumbai/Bangalore/New Delhi, IN Vitra (Nederland) B.V., Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, NL Vitra Scandinavia AS, Oslo, N Vitra International AG, Warszawa, PL Vitra Furniture (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, PRC Vitra Furniture Pte. Ltd., Singapore Vitra Inc., New York, Culver City, San Francisco, Chicago, USA info@vitra.com www.vitra.com 2008, Art.-Nr. 097 312 20 All intellectual property rights, such as trademarks, patents and copyrights are reserved. Nothing shown on this printed matter may be reproduced without written permission.