Studio In Japan And Urban Projects (1969-1988)

By 1969 Isamu Noguchi had established a studio in the village of Mure on the Japanese island of Shikoku, and it was here that he carved the large granite and basalt sculptures that culminated his career. Noguchi first visited Shikoku in 1956 in search of stones for his garden at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, and he returned looking for a craftsman to work with him on the monumental granite sculpture Black Sun for the Seattle Art Museum. He was referred to a young stonecutter from the village of Mure, Masatoshi Izumi, with whom he developed a strong working relationship and began a twenty-year collaboration. Izumi built a studio compound for Noguchi, and the sculptor worked in Mure for about six months each year during his last two decades. At the same time that Noguchi was carving stone in Mure he continued to work around the world on garden and landscape projects, and to work with water as a sculptural medium in his fountains.  He also took on two major urban projects, Philip A. Hart Plaza in Detroit (1972-79) and Bayfront Park in Miami (1980-in construction). Noguchi's last project was the master plan for the 400-acre Moere Numa Park in Sapporo, Japan, which is under construction. In 1985 Noguchi opened the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum, Long Island City, New York, in which he installed over 250 of his works. Isamu Noguchi died in New York on December 30, 1988.

Noguchi on UNESCO Garden  | Chronology