Noguchi Museum

Museum Museum dedicated to sculptor Isamu Noguchi

The Noguchi Museum in Long Island City showcases Isamu Noguchi’s sculptures, a sunlit garden and rotating exhibitions; visitors come for contemplative modern art and design.

The Noguchi Museum is a museum and sculpture studio in Long Island City, New York, founded by sculptor Isamu Noguchi and opened in 1985 to preserve and display his work and archive.

Isamu Noguchi established the museum to conserve his creative legacy and to maintain his working environments; the building is a converted industrial space adapted to contain galleries, studio areas and storage for the artist’s archive.

The museum sits in Long Island City, Queens, within New York City and is accessible from Manhattan by subway and other public transit.

Founding: Founded by the sculptor Isamu Noguchi and opened in 1985 to house his work, studio and archives in a converted industrial building in Long Island City, Queens.

What to See #

Sculpture Garden: A landscaped outdoor sculpture garden that displays larger works and is designed as an integral part of the museum experience, with year-round public access as part of ticketed entry.
Main galleries and studio: The main indoor galleries and restored studio space where rotating exhibitions and the museum's permanent collection are shown, together with a small shop and archive areas related to the artist's practice.

How to Get to Noguchi Museum #

Take the 7 train to Vernon Blvd-Jackson Ave (about a 7-10 minute walk), or the E/M/G lines to Court Square and walk 10-15 minutes. Several Citi Bike docks are nearby; limited street parking exists on 33rd Road and Vernon Boulevard.

Tips for Visiting Noguchi Museum #

Enter through the small black gate on 33rd Road - the museum is deliberately intimate and the gate queues are short compared with the nearby institutions.
Visit late afternoon when the light in the sculpture garden softens; Noguchi designed the studio and garden to reveal different faces in changing sunlight.
Audio guides are useful; the wall labels are minimal by design and the guided tour (check schedule) reveals stories about his time in Tokyo, Paris and New York.