Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America
September 20, 2026 – January 10, 2027
Iconic sculpture and design by two generations of Japanese American artists.
Leo Amino. In-Between (detail), 1962. Estate of Leo Amino
Adults $30; seniors $28 (tickets good for 2 days); students $5; members free
About the Exhibition
Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America is a groundbreaking exhibition that reconsiders 20th-century art and design within the context of Japanese and Japanese American incarceration during World War II and the broader history of America. The exhibition showcases the works of two generations of artists affected by forced relocation and incarceration: sculptor and designer Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988), architect and furniture designer George Nakashima (1905–1990), sculptor Leo Amino (b. Taiwan, 1911–1989), graphic designer S. Neil Fujita (b. Territory of Hawaii, 1921–2010), fiber artist and weaver Kay Sekimachi (b. 1926), and artist Ruth Asawa (1926–2013).
While works by these artists are widely celebrated for their beauty and craftsmanship, this exhibition acknowledges the difficult history behind their creation. From the Akari light sculptures of Noguchi to the suspended wire lobes of Asawa, the designs of mid-20th-century Japanese American artists helped define the look and feel of modern America.
Leo Amino. In-Between, 1962. Wood and acrylic. Estate of Leo Amino
Exhibition Organization
Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America is organized by the Barnes and curated by Cindy Kang.
Sponsors
Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America is sponsored by:
Major support is provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. Generous support is provided by The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation and Lenore G. Tawney Foundation. Additional support is provided by Ilana Dean of the Beryl and Morris Dean Family Fund, Michael and Sandra Dean, Margaret C. Hallenbeck, and Barbara Podell and Mark Singer.
Ongoing funding for exhibitions comes from the Christine and Michael Angelakis Exhibition Fund, Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Exhibition Fund, Lois and Julian Brodsky Exhibition Fund, Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr. Exhibition Fund, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Christine and George Henisee Exhibition Fund, Aileen and Brian Roberts Exhibition Fund, and Tom and Margaret Lehr Whitford Exhibition Fund.
The exhibition publication is supported by the Lois and Julian Brodsky Publications Fund and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art.
In addition, we thank annual contributors to the Barnes Foundation Exhibition Fund for supporting all exhibitions:
Joan Carter and John Aglialoro, Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Julia and David Fleischner, Victoria McNeil Le Vine, Leigh and John Middleton, Jeanette and Joe Neubauer, and Aileen and Brian Roberts
John Alchin and Hal Marryatt, N. Judith Broudy, Julie Jensen Bryan, Emily and Michael Cavanagh, Marianne N. Dean, Eugene and Michelle Dubay, Penelope P. Harris, Jones & Wajahat Family, Lisa D. Kabnick and John H. McFadden, Victor F. Keen and Jeanne Ruddy, Marguerite Lenfest, Maribeth and Steven Lerner, Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation, Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan, Cathy and Henry Nassau, The Park Family, Wendy and Mark Rayfield, Anne and Bruce Robinson, Adele K. Schaeffer, Katie and Tony Schaeffer, Donna and Jerry Slipakoff, Dr. and Mrs. Eugene E. Stark, Joan F. Thalheimer, Bruce and Robbi Toll, van Beuren Charitable Foundation, and Randi Zemsky and Bob Lane.