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Miss Expanding Universe

A work made of aluminum.
© 2018 The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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  • A work made of aluminum.

Date:

1932

Artist:

Isamu Noguchi
American, 1904-1988

About this artwork

Born in the United States, Isamu Noguchi lived in Japan until he was 13 years old and was deeply affected by Japanese art and culture. In 1930 the artist returned to Japan to study its sculptural traditions and ceramics. Miss Expanding Universe was the first sculpture Noguchi made upon his return to the United States in 1932. In this work, he combined machine-age streamlining with characteristics of ancient Japanese funerary sculpture (haniwa). Later the same year, Noguchi transformed this flowing form into a sacklike costume for the pioneering dancer and choreographer Ruth Page and her ballet Expanding Universe.

Status

On View, Gallery 265

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Isamu Noguchi

Title

Miss Expanding Universe

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1932

Medium

Aluminum

Dimensions

113.9 × 88.6 × 15.2 cm (40 7/8 × 34 7/8 × 9 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Ruth Page

Reference Number

1994.833

Copyright

© 2018 The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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