Museum Exhibition

‘No Ordinary Light: Akari at 75’ at The Noguchi Museum

Posted: 22 October 2026

Isamu Noguchi at 10th Street Studio with Akari, c.1960s. The Noguchi Museum Archives, 03610. © INFGM ARS

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4 November 2026 – 5 September 2027

New York

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Akari, The Noguchi Museum in New York presents ‘No Ordinary Light: Akari at 75’. The exhibition traces the significance of Noguchi’s iconic Akari, beginning with the paper and bamboo light sculptures he made in Gifu, Japan, in 1951. The name ‘Akari’ derives from the Japanese word for ‘light’.

Over the course of his career, Noguchi produced more than 200 Akari sculptures, placing them in a range of contexts, from domestic settings and large-scale installations to arrangements in dialogue with materials such as stone, metal and clay.

The exhibition revisits key historical presentations, including the debut of Akari at the Eames House in 1952 and Noguchi’s solo presentation at the Venice Biennale in 1986.