Table Lamp, 4N AKARI, paper, wire and bamboo, Japan, 1992, designed by Isamu Noguchi, ca.1952.

The lantern rests on a wire frame, enamelled black, and in the form of a cross which supports the screw socket at the centre. At each corner the wire struts bend downwards through 90°, forming the legs, each of which terminates with a small rubber ball. The shade is supported on an internal, rectangular steel loop which terminates at the top with two looped points over which two rings sit and which in turn are sewn to the shade. This is stabilized at each of the bottom corners by a similar ring attached internally and through which each leg is threaded. The shade itself is made of Japanese paper, supported on a wire and wood frame. It is square in cross section and tapers towards the top. The flex is a double core wire, covered in a black plastic sleeve and incorporates a two way switch.

This light was recomended for acquisition by the Core Committee for the Twentieth Century Gallery Project, October 1992,

Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) born in Los Angeles of a Japanese father and American mother, was a leading American sculptor with strong ties with Japan. His original version of the spherical Akari lamp was introduced in 1952. Like all the Akari series, it uses the traditional materials of the Japanese lantern and the association of its shape with the moon gave it national and symbolic significance. It has since been adapted by mainstream companies to provide an inexpensive lamp fitting which can be flat packed in a concertina action and sold cheaply.

The 4N Akari, marketed as a `light sculpture', includes a reproduction of the sculptor's signature and thus trades off his fame. The association of an artist with a light is symptomatic of the rise in status of the light.

M.28-1993