The Matter of Sculpture: Isamu Noguchi and Early India

Isamu Noguchi wrote in 1949 that the site of Mahabalipuram was his “first and most authentic lesson.” Between then and his death in 1988, Noguchi visited India at least eleven times. Yet there has been little investigation into the nature of this long and deep connection, and the impact it had on the sculptor’s artistic philosophy and practice. The few studies on the topic emphasize Noguchi’s interest in the architectural modernity of post-independence India. This essay foregrounds instead the sculptor’s enduring interest in the art of early India. Through extensive archival work, it highlights Noguchi’s engagement with ancient sites such as Sanchi, Elephanta, and Mahabalipuram, among numerous others, and traces the centrality of the “matter of sculpture” in his approach. As such, he is one of the few sculptors—and perhaps the only one—to have studied, recorded, and theorized the materiality of early Indian sculpture. In looking at and alongside Noguchi, this essay expands the current understanding of the sculptor’s work and calls for material approaches to the study of sculpture from early India.