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 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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