Pierced Table (IN82-2090)
Manufactured by Gemini G.E.L.
USA, 1980s
Hot-dipped galvanized steel

Measurements
95 × 92 × 56h cm
37,3 × 36,3 × 22h in

Details
Signed and dated to the underside: “I.N. 82”

Edition
Limited edition of 18

Provenance
Private Collection, USA

Literature
Isamu Noguchi at Gemini 1982–1983, Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles, p. 39.

About
Designed in 1982–1983, the Pierced Table (IN82-2090) belongs to a significant group of works created by Isamu Noguchi in collaboration with Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles. Executed in hot-dipped galvanized steel, the table demonstrates Noguchi's continued exploration of the boundary between sculpture and functional design, transforming an industrial material into a dynamic three-dimensional composition.
The design is characterized by its pierced and folded planes, which create an interplay of solid and void while simultaneously forming the table's structure. Rather than conceiving the base and surface as separate elements, Noguchi treats the object as a unified sculptural volume. The openings interrupt the mass of the steel and allow light and surrounding space to become active components of the composition.
The use of hot-dipped galvanized steel reflects Noguchi's longstanding interest in industrial fabrication and material experimentation. Its textured metallic surface contrasts with the fluidity of the table's geometry, while the process itself gives each example subtle variations in finish.
Produced in an edition of only 18 examples, the Pierced Table represents Noguchi's mature approach to furniture as sculpture: an object whose practical function remains inseparable from its spatial and artistic presence. This example, number 8 of the edition, is signed and dated by the artist and is documented in the publication dedicated to Noguchi's 1982–1983 collaboration with Gemini G.E.L.

Biography
Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) was a Japanese-American artist and designer whose multidisciplinary practice encompassed sculpture, furniture, lighting, landscape architecture, ceramics, and public space. Born in Los Angeles to an American mother and Japanese father, Noguchi spent part of his childhood in Japan before returning to the United States.
In 1927, he travelled to Paris and worked as an assistant to Constantin Brancusi, an experience that profoundly shaped his understanding of abstraction, material, and sculptural form. Throughout his career, Noguchi resisted distinctions between fine art and functional design, approaching furniture, gardens, monuments, and everyday objects as interconnected forms of spatial expression.
His most celebrated designs include the Noguchi Table, created for Herman Miller in the 1940s, and the Akari Light Sculptures, begun in 1951 and produced in Gifu, Japan. Alongside these functional works, Noguchi developed an extensive sculptural practice using stone, metal, wood, and industrial materials, as well as major landscape and public projects.
During the final decades of his career, Noguchi continued to experiment with materials and fabrication processes, including his collaboration with Gemini G.E.L. in the early 1980s. Works such as the Pierced Table demonstrate his enduring conviction that sculpture could inhabit everyday life while remaining fundamentally concerned with material, space, and human experience.