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Isamu Noguchi photographing “Isamu Noguchi Exhibition,” Chuo Koron Gallery, Tokyo, August 2–7, 1954. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 07020. ©INFGM / ARS

Akari Ceiling Lamps

Ceiling
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Akari 21A Akari 21A
21A
$600
Akari 33X Akari 33X
33X
$300
Akari 45A Akari 45A
45A
$350
Akari 24A Akari 24A
24A
$300
Akari 45XL Akari 45XL
45XL
$300
Akari 55D Akari 55D
55D
Out of Stock
Akari VB13-C Akari VB13-C
VB13-C
$450
Akari 70EN Akari 70EN
70EN
$600
Akari 31N Akari 31N
31N
$800
Akari 33N Akari 33N
33N
$900
Akari J1 Akari J1
J1
$900
Akari L5 Akari L5
L5
$800
Akari 95EN Akari 95EN
95EN
Out of Stock
Akari 23A Akari 23A
23A
$450
Akari 26A Akari 26A
26A
$375
Akari 17A Akari 17A
17A
$600
Akari 50EN Akari 50EN
50EN
$375
Akari 15A Akari 15A
15A
Out of Stock
Akari 40DL Akari 40DL
40DL
$350
Akari 16A Akari 16A
16A
$600
Akari 30P Akari 30P
30P
$1,200
Akari 45X Akari 45X
45X
$450
Akari 40XP Akari 40XP
40XP
$450
Akari YP1 Akari YP1
YP1
Out of Stock
Akari 70XL Akari 70XL
70XL
$450
Akari 30A Akari 30A
30A
$225
Akari 55A Akari 55A
55A
Out of Stock
Akari 75A Akari 75A
75A
$750
Akari 120A Akari 120A
120A
$2,400
Akari 30F Akari 30F
30F
$225
Akari 40F Akari 40F
40F
$325
Akari 50F Akari 50F
50F
$425
Akari 55F Akari 55F
55F
$450
Akari 60F Akari 60F
60F
Out of Stock
Akari 70F Akari 70F
70F
$750
Akari 95F Akari 95F
95F
Out of Stock
Akari 125F Akari 125F
125F
$2,400
Akari 100D Akari 100D
100D
$1,600
Akari 75D Akari 75D
75D
$750
Akari 60D Akari 60D
60D
$550
Akari 30D Akari 30D
30D
$225
Akari 33NW Akari 33NW
33NW
$1,400
Akari 32N Akari 32N
32N
$1,200
Akari 31NW Akari 31NW
31NW
$1,400
Akari 36N Akari 36N
36N
Out of Stock
Akari 37D Akari 37D
37D
$250
Akari L1 Akari L1
L1
$650
Akari 45D Akari 45D
45D
$350
Akari L2 Akari L2
L2
$750
Akari L3 Akari L3
L3
$1,400
Akari E Akari E
E
Out of Stock
Akari A Akari A
A
$1,800
Akari H Akari H
H
$1,800
Akari F Akari F
F
$1,800
Akari B Akari B
B
$1,800
Akari L8 Akari L8
L8
$1,200
Akari L6 Akari L6
L6
$900
Akari JP Akari JP
JP
$700
Akari L7 Akari L7
L7
$900
Akari 35N Akari 35N
35N
$1,400
    Isamu Noguchi working on paper template for Akari, c. 1951–52. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 03602. ©INFGM / ARS
    About Akari Light Sculptures
    Akari light sculptures are a luminous series of works created by the artist Isamu Noguchi beginning in 1951. Noguchi worked on Akari for thirty-seven years, nearly half of his life, and designed over 200 models. He described them as, “the one thing that I’ve done out of pure love.”
    Isamu Noguchi working on paper template for Akari, c. 1951–52. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 03602. ©INFGM / ARS
    Isamu Noguchi and employees at Ozeki & Co. with Akari, c. 1978. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 142353. ©INFGM / ARS
    About Akari Light Sculptures
    The shades of Akari are handmade of mulberry bark washi paper and bamboo by Ozeki & Co., a family-owned company, founded in 1891 and based in Gifu, Japan. Though their finished forms “may be moved with a thought,” their construction reflects generations of craftsmanship.
    Isamu Noguchi and employees at Ozeki & Co. with Akari, c. 1978. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 142353. ©INFGM / ARS
    Isamu Noguchi and employee at Ozeki & Co. with Akari, c. 1968. Photo: Michio Noguchi. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 03622. ©INFGM / ARS
    About Akari Light Sculptures
    Many Akari shades begin with thin strips of bamboo ribbing (higo). Smaller pieces of higo are tied together with white cotton string to create a long, continuous strand. The strand is then wrapped around notches in bespoke wooden construction molds made for each model.
    Isamu Noguchi and employee at Ozeki & Co. with Akari, c. 1968. Photo: Michio Noguchi. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 03622. ©INFGM / ARS
    Employee at Ozeki & Co. making Akari, c. 1978. Photo: Michio Noguchi. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 03640. ©INFGM / ARS
    About Akari Light Sculptures
    After the ribbing is placed, rice glue is applied to the construction mold with a brush. Panels of mulberry bark washi paper are carefully pressed onto the mold and trimmed to size. After drying in a specially heated room, the mold is collapsed and removed from the inside, and the shade folds flat for efficient packaging and shipping.
    Employee at Ozeki & Co. making Akari, c. 1978. Photo: Michio Noguchi. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 03640. ©INFGM / ARS
    Isamu Noguchi’s home in Mure, Japan. Photo: Michio Noguchi. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 06163. ©INFGM / ARS
    About Akari Light Sculptures
    From Noguchi’s mind, to craftspeople’s hands, and, finally, in people’s homes, Akari light sculptures dissolve the boundary between function and art. Assessing the series near the end of his career, Noguchi wrote, “They seem to offer a magical unfolding away from the material world.” Or, as he was fond of saying, “All that you require to start a home are a room, a tatami, and Akari.”
    Isamu Noguchi’s home in Mure, Japan. Photo: Michio Noguchi. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 06163. ©INFGM / ARS
Isamu Noguchi making a styrofoam model for Akari, c. 1968. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 06939. ©INFGM / ARS
Fig. 1
Isamu Noguchi making a styrofoam model for Akari, c. 1968. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 06938. ©INFGM / ARS
Fig. 2
Isamu Noguchi making a styrofoam model for Akari, with form resembling unfinished 24N, c. 1968. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 06941. ©INFGM / ARS
Fig. 3
Fig. 1–2 Isamu Noguchi making a styrofoam model for Akari, with forms resembling 20N and 22N, c. 1968. Fig. 3 Noguchi making a styrofoam model for Akari, with form resembling unfinished 24N, c. 1968. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 06938, 06939. 06941. ©INFGM / ARS
Isamu Noguchi: What is Sculpture?, Venice Biennale, June 29–September 28, 1986. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 144387. ©INFGM / ARS
Installation view, “Isamu Noguchi and Hiroshi Teshigahara,” Sogetsu Kaikan, November 20–December 20, 1980. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 03018. ©INFGM / ARS
A Grid of “Enban” in Tokyo
The Akari 50EN, 70EN, and 95EN share the acronym EN, identified in ephemera from The Noguchi Museum Archives as short for the Japanese word enban, meaning saucer or discus. The 50EN was installed in a dense grid over biomorphic ceramics for Isamu Noguchi and Hiroshi Teshigahara, held at Tokyo’s Sogetsu Kaikan, the famed ikebana school, in 1980.
Installation view, Isamu Noguchi and Hiroshi Teshigahara, Sogetsu Kaikan, November 20–December 20, 1980. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 03018. ©INFGM / ARS