ISAMU NOGUCHI (1904-1988) - COLLECTION CHRISTOPHE MAGNAN Akari 10A, designed in [1952], from the Akari series begun in [1951], our work from the 1st edition, hand-made by the Japanese company Ozeki in Gifu. Floor lamp. Washi paper glued to bamboo strands. Tripod base in black-lacquered metal; plastic shoes. Minor alterations to the washi paper. Marked with a red stamp (The Sun and the Moon; round and crescent) towards the base of the lampshade. H.125 cm - D.55 cm Provenance : Christophe Magnan Collection. Archives and related works : The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York - Identical models reproduced in photographs held in the collections of this institution under nos. 03056, 03578, 03127, 03428, 03429, 03430, 150932 and 150933. Public collection and related works : Center Pompidou, Paris - An identical model is conserved in the collections of this institution under inventory number AM 1992-1-295. Exhibitions and related works : - Isamu Noguchi Exhibition - Tokyo, Chuo Koron Gallery, August 2-7, 1954. An identical model exhibited at this event. - Isamu Noguchi and Rosanjin Kitaoji - Kamakura, The Museum of Modern Art, June 29 - August 25, 1996. An identical model exhibited at this event. Bibliography : - Aujourd'hui, Art et Architecture - N° 7, March 1956. Identical model reproduced on page 84; drawing of model reproduced on page 85. - AKARI Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi - Ozeki and Co. commercial catalog, Tokyo, circa 1988. Identical model reproduced on page 9. - Isamu Noguchi: Sculptural Design - Catalogue for the 2002 traveling exhibition organized by the Vitra Design Museum, Weil-am-Rhein (presented in London, Weil-am-Rhein, Madrid, Paris, Cologne, Rotterdam, Berlin), Vitra Design Museum Publishing, Weil-am-Rhein, 2002. An identical model is reproduced on pages 175 and 176. - Thibaut Varaillon, Christophe Magnan and Philippe Brieallard - Akari: les chemins de la lumière - Catalogue of the exhibition held at WA Design Gallery, Paris (June 25 - July 23, 2021), Éditions de la galerie, Paris, 2021. Identical models reproduced on pages 209 and 241; model drawing reproduced on pages 27 and 39. Christophe Magnan; his encounter and journey with Isamu Noguchi's Akari as seen by himself I acquired my first Akari in the late 1990s. My frequent trips to the Saint-Ouen flea market had overcome my ignorance, and the discovery of this "magic lantern" created a sense of wonder that has never left me since. I went home sure I'd unearthed another treasure, but it wasn't until nightfall that I discovered the full magic of the Akari: that perfect diffusion of light that keeps in suspense that magical moment that has no name, that tiny second when day and night pass the baton, that furtive moment when yesterday still hesitates to become tomorrow. Since then, I've been lucky enough to acquire many models, first as a collector and then as a gallery owner. And so it was that I went from being a mere admirer of the Akari to a great enthusiast of Isamu Noguchi's work. Like many Europeans, my knowledge of Noguchi's work was limited to his IN50 coffee table and a vague perception of a series of Japanese lanterns brought up to date. This was to forget the diversity and amplitude of the talent of this polymorphous artist: one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century, landscape artist, architect, draughtsman, ceramist, decorator, designer... His modes of expression seem limitless and always mastered to perfection. When I set up the WA gallery in 2018, my aim was to bring together the works of Japanese, French and American designers who, beyond time and borders, share the same culture of purity, a constituent of both traditional Japanese arts and the "Modern Movement". Who better than Isamu Noguchi to embody this echo between two shores, this bridge stretched between styles, centuries and continents? Who better than him and his Akari to symbolize the excellence that distinguishes art from craft, the perfect symbiosis between the visionary genius of the artist and the age-old know-how of the Ozeki's "little hands"? Christophe Magnan