The Classic Noguchi Lamp as You’ve Never Seen It

WE ARE WELL acquainted with Isamu Noguchi’s iconic Akari light sculptures. The lovely little frameworks of bamboo covered with off-white washi paper (whose design dates to 1951) are the sort of thing uncompromising incense fans own. But who knew that 25 of the more than 170 Akari iterations currently in production are screen printed with flourishes of color or pattern. Not so minimalist, after all.

The decorative printed additions range from pure abstractions (alternating bands of black and white) to simplified pictures (knocked-out bow ties) to Japanese design motifs. “The appeal of the coloured versions is they have more cultural specificity than the unadorned ones but [still] achieve the timeless, placeless universality of Noguchi’s best work,” said Dakin Hart, senior curator at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, N.Y.

The Akari “sun” pattern on the 1AY model

Though seemingly art for art’s sake, the decorations have practical dimensions, too. The Akari “sun” pattern (shown above on the 1AY model), for example, leaves an ovoid shape unprinted, creating an analog way to dim the light: Turn the unprinted “sun” toward the wall to modulate the brightness; turn it outward, and the light increases.

In 1951, the artist first visited Gifu, Japan, the global hub of the traditional paper lantern industry, and was inspired to create a translucent, collapsible light sculpture. The result: the Akari, which translates to “light” and “glow” in English. Soon, the artisanal fixtures were among the most beloved (and accessible) modern lamps.

In the U.S., the coloured and embellished Akari are available only through the Noguchi Museum (and strictly sold in tabletop versions), which makes them harder to get your hands on. But, given the basic models’ ubiquity, that scarcity makes them feel particularly un-routine. The screen-printed Akari—more playful than their monastic siblings—appeal to interior designers like Victoria Sass. The Twin Cities, Minn., pro said she also finds the coloured iterations more painterly, “like a piece of art” in contrast with the “more sculptural” unadorned version.

For a spot of color in his Düsseldorf living room, German design influencer Christoph Knopf layered an Akari 9AD “Blue Shovel” in among other midcentury modern pieces and Japanese-inspired décor. As he notes on Instagram, the lantern, lit at night, “is the star of the interior.”

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The personal wardrobe of the late fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who is credited for introducing punk to fashion and further developing the style, is headed to auction in June.

Christie’s will hold the live sale in London on June 25, while some of the pieces will be available in an online auction from June 14-28, according to a news release from the auction house on Monday.

Andreas Kronthaler, Westwood’s husband and the creative director for her eponymous fashion company, selected the clothing, jewellery, and accessories for the sale, and the auction will benefit charitable organisations The Vivienne Foundation, Amnesty International, and Médecins Sans Frontières.

The more than 200 lots span four decades of Westwood’s fashion, dating to Autumn/Winter 1983-84, which was one of Westwood’s earliest collections. Titled “Witches,” the collection was inspired by witchcraft as well as Keith Haring’s “graphic code of magic symbols,” and the earliest piece being offered from it is a two-piece ensemble made of navy blue serge, according to the release.

“Vivienne Westwood’s sense of activism, art and style is embedded in each and every piece that she created,” said Adrian Hume-Sayer, the head of sale and director of Private & Iconic Collections at Christie’s.

A corset gown of taupe silk taffeta from “Dressed to Scale,” Autumn/Winter 1998-99, will also be included in the sale. The collection “referenced the fashions that were documented by the 18th century satirist James Gillray and were intended to attract as well as provoke thought and debate,” according to Christie’s.

Additionally, a dress with a blue and white striped blouse and a printed propaganda modesty panel and apron is a part of the wardrobe collection. The dress was a part of “Propaganda,” Autumn/Winter 2005-06, Westwood’s “most overtly political show” at the time. It referenced both her punk era and Aldous Huxley’s essay “Propaganda in a Democratic Society,” according to Christie’s.

The wardrobe collection will be publicly exhibited at Christie’s London from June 14-24.

“The pre-sale exhibition and auctions at Christie’s will celebrate her extraordinary vision with a selection of looks that mark significant moments not only in her career, but also in her personal life,” Hume-Sayer said. “This will be a unique opportunity for audiences to encounter both the public and the private world of the great Dame Vivienne Westwood and to raise funds for the causes in which she so ardently believed.”

Westwood died in December 2022 in London at the age of 81.

The Classic Noguchi Lamp as You’ve Never Seen It

For decades, minimalists have snapped up the Japanese-American artist’s off-white paper lanterns. These lesser-known versions feature decorative dabs of colour.