Grey Sun

A round grey sculpture with a hole in the center by Isamu Noguchi
Copied 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
Keywords
  • Nonrepresentational
  • 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.
Publication Label

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."

Smithsonian American Art Museum: Commemorative Guide. Nashville, TN: Beckon Books, 2015.

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.