Akari Light Sculpture Model BB3-33S
Manufactured by Ozeki & Co., Ltd.
Japan, 1970s
Washi paper, bamboo, iron

Measurements
75 × 25 × 170h cm
29,5 × 9,8 × 66,9h in

Provenance
Private collection , Japan

Literature
Isamu Noguchi, New Akari Light Sculpture, Ozeki & Co., Gifu, 1977.
Catalog of Latest Akari, Ozeki & Co., Gifu, 1988.
Bonnie Rychlak, Dakin Hart, Mutsuko Mori, Masayo Murayama and Kengo Matsumoto, Design: Isamu Noguchi and Isamu Kenmochi, The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York, 2022.
Dore Ashton, Noguchi East and West, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1992.

About
The Akari series represents Isamu Noguchi’s lifelong pursuit of transforming light into sculpture. First conceived in 1951 during a visit to Gifu, Japan, the project emerged from Noguchi’s fascination with the traditional craft of paper lantern making and his desire to reinterpret this centuries-old technique through the language of modern design.
The model 33S paired with the BB3 floor stand exemplifies the sculptural elegance that distinguishes the Akari collection. The elongated horizontal shade appears to float effortlessly above its slender support, creating a composition that is simultaneously architectural and ethereal. When illuminated, the handmade washi paper diffuses light softly and evenly, producing the warm atmospheric glow that has become synonymous with Noguchi’s vision.
Rather than viewing lighting as a purely functional object, Noguchi conceived the Akari sculptures as luminous forms capable of shaping the emotional character of a space. The combination of natural materials—washi paper, bamboo, and metal—reflects his commitment to merging traditional craftsmanship with modernist principles, creating objects that are both timeless and deeply human.

Biography
Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) was one of the most important and intellectually ambitious artists of the twentieth century, whose work moved fluidly between sculpture, architecture, landscape, furniture, and industrial design. Born in Los Angeles to the Japanese poet Yone Noguchi and the American writer Leonie Gilmour, he grew up between the United States and Japan, an experience that profoundly shaped his artistic vision. Noguchi never accepted the division between East and West, art and utility, or sculpture and design; instead, he sought to create a unified visual language capable of shaping how people live, move, and experience space.
Noguchi’s early artistic formation took place in New York, where he studied at Columbia University before training as a sculptor. In 1927 he traveled to Paris on a Guggenheim Fellowship to apprentice with Constantin Brancusi, an experience that proved decisive for his understanding of form and abstraction. Throughout his life he expanded sculpture beyond conventional limits, creating furniture, stage sets, landscapes, and environments that redefined the role of design in daily life.
His Akari Light Sculptures, begun in 1951, remain among his most influential creations and continue to embody his lifelong pursuit of harmony between tradition, technology, material, and human experience.