About this artwork
Isamu Noguchi first designed this sculptural chess table for the 1944 Surrealist exhibition, The Imagery of Chess. The table epitomizes his exploration of Surrealism through its irregular biomorphic shape. It also demonstrates his synthesis of Eastern and Western influences: Noguchi drew from the gestural profiles of Chinese calligraphy for the tabletop form and Japanese joinery techniques for the base’s interlocking legs. The designer George Nelson bought the original table, and a few years later connected Noguchi with the manufacturer Herman Miller, who briefly put the table into commercial production.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 262
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Department
- Arts of the Americas
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Artists
- Isamu Noguchi (Designer) , Herman Miller Furniture Company (Manufacturer)
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Title
- Chess Table
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Places
- Zeeland (Object made in), United States (Artist's nationality:)
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Dates
- Designed 1944 , Made 1945-1954
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Medium
- Ebonized plywood, aluminum, and Lucite
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Dimensions
- 52.7 × 63.5 × 63.5 cm (20 3/4 × 25 × 25 in.)
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Credit Line
- Through prior bequest of Arthur Rubloff; purchased with funds provided by the Antiquarian Society; Quinn E. Delaney Fund
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Reference Number
- 2010.227
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Copyright
- © 2018 The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Extended information about this artwork
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