Isamu Noguchi (Nov 17,1904 – Dec 30,1988) was a legendary Japanese-American sculptor, furniture & lighting designer, and landscape architect of the 20th century, born in Los Angeles, USA. Born to a Japanese poet father and an American writer mother, he spent his early childhood in Japan, owning distinctive cross-cultural aesthetic genes of East and West.

He apprenticed under Constantin Brancusi, the pioneer of modern abstract sculpture in Paris. In 1930, he traveled to Beijing and learned Chinese ink painting and oriental garden design from master Qi Baishi, which became the core inspiration of his mixed-style design.

Crossing multiple creative fields including fine sculpture, public landscape, home furnishing and stage design, he pioneered the concept that functional furniture is usable sculpture. His iconic works include the Noguchi Coffee Table(1944) and Akari Washi Paper Lamp Series(launched in 1951), two all-time mid-century modern classics widely reproduced worldwide. His masterpieces also cover UNESCO Japanese Garden in Paris, Red Cube public sculpture in New York and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Garden.

He founded Noguchi Museum in New York and received numerous top honors: US National Medal of Arts, Japan’s Order of the Sacred Treasure and Kyoto Prize in Arts, leaving profound influence on wabi-sabi and contemporary interior design globally.