Grey Sun

Isamu Noguchi, Grey Sun, 1967, Arni marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1969.158, © The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York
Isamu Noguchi, Grey Sun, 1967, Arni marble, 40 7⁄8 x 39 3⁄8 x 16 7⁄8 in. (103.8 x 100.0 x 42.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1969.158, © The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York

Artwork Details

Title
Grey Sun
Artist
Date
1967
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
40 7⁄8 x 39 3⁄8 x 16 7⁄8 in. (103.8 x 100.0 x 42.8 cm)
Copyright
© The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
Arni marble
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1969.158
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1969.158

Artwork Description

Believing that sculpture should be "an equivalent for natural forms and forces," Isamu Noguchi explored the sun's vital power in this massive marble. He derived its shape from a millstone, which, "inverted and elevated, becomes a sun-like image." Born in California to an American mother and Japanese father, Noguchi spent most of his childhood in Japan before continuing his education in the American Midwest, New York City, and Paris. This piece reflects his internationalist life and perspective, a blend of the biomorphic abstraction of European surrealism and traditional Japanese stonework.

Works by this artist (3 items)

Chet La More, Ku Kluxers, 1939, color lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from D.C. Public Library , 1967.72.149
Ku Kluxers
Artist
Date1939
color lithograph
Not on view
Chet La More, Old Dock, n.d., color lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from D.C. Public Library, 1967.72.148
Old Dock
Artist
Daten.d.
color lithograph
Not on view
Chet La More, Construction, ca. 1935-1939, color woodcut on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Audrey McMahon, 1968.98.32
Construction
Artist
Dateca. 1935-1939
color woodcut on paper
Not on view

Related Books

Noguchi_500.jpg
Isamu Noguchi, Archaic / Modern
Sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) made works that “speak of both the modern and the ancient in the same breath.” An essay by Dakin Hart traces themes in Noguchi’s sixty-year career—an expansive vision that ranged from landscape art to garden and playground designs, from sculptures featuring planets and outer space to those grappling with the atomic age, and from patented lamps and furniture to modern dance sets and costumes. More than sixty full-color plates highlight the timeless appeal of this thoroughly modern artist.

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
Henry Moore, Britain, from the United Nations Series, 1944, ink, watercolor, pencil, crayon, and gouache on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.219
Britain, from the United Nations Series
Artist
Date1944
ink, watercolor, pencil, crayon, and gouache on paper
Not on view
Henry Speller, Train, ca. 1980, crayon and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.198
Train
Artist
Dateca. 1980
crayon and pencil on paper
Not on view
Inez Nathaniel-Walker, Woman with Bowl of Flowers, 1974, felt-tipped pen and ink, ballpoint pen and ink, crayon, and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.190
Woman with Bowl of Flowers
Artist
Date1974
felt-tipped pen and ink, ballpoint pen and ink, crayon, and pencil on paper
Not on view
Image Not Available
Messenger Boy
Artist
Dateca. 1933-1943
charcoal, crayon and pencil on paper
Not on view