Sculptor Isamu Noguchi was born in 1904 in Los Angeles to an American mother and Japanese father and saw himself as a man without a country for most of his life. Isamu Noguchi's life as an artist probably began in earnest when he abandoned his pre-med studies at Columbia University for sculpture classes on the Lower East Side in New York. When Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, Noguchi voluntarily entered an internment camp for Japanese at Poston, Ariz. Unsuccessful in starting an arts and crafts cooperative within the camp, Noguchi secured his release after 6 months, only to find out that the FBI wanted him deported for spying. He was saved from deportation by the American Civil Liberties Union.

In addition to his sculptures, Isamu is also known for the glass topped table he designed in 1947 for Herman Miller, and for his Japanese styled Akari light sculptures made from paper in 1951. All are currently still in production.