Model for Lobby Ceiling, American Stove Company Building

Artist: Isamu Noguchi, American, 1904–1988
Date: 1946–47
Material: Plaster, wire, plexiglass, and aluminum
associated with: St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, North and Central America
Classification: Mixed media, models & maquettes
Collection: Decorative Arts and Design
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 40 3/8 × 43 × 7 1/2 in. (102.6 × 109.2 × 19.1 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Armstrong
Rights: © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, NY
Object Number: 86:1970

NOTES

The biomorphic shapes that characterize Isamu Noguchi’s sculpture from the 1940s feature prominently in this model of the lobby ceiling he designed for the American Stove Company in St. Louis. The free-form contours functioned as recessed light fixtures, but they also transformed the ceiling into a sculpted landscape that guided visitors through the lobby, making them “feel better, feel happier to be there.” The American Stove Company building, designed by Harris Armstrong, and this ceiling exemplify the modern architecture commissioned in St. Louis during the mid-20th century. This model was used by plasterers to construct the actual ceiling.

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