Black Sun

Isamu Noguchi carved this 9-foot-diameter ring from a single block of black Brazilian granite in 1969. The original stone weighed 30 tons. Eleven carvers in Japan worked on it for eight months, followed by four more months of polishing. The finished piece weighs 12 tons. Its circular opening frames views of downtown Seattle, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains, turning the landscape into a composed image.

Noguchi (1904-1988) was born in Los Angeles to a Japanese poet and an American writer, and his work bridges Eastern and Western sculptural traditions. He apprenticed with Constantin Brancusi in Paris from 1927-29, learning direct stone carving and the idea that tool marks connect sculptor to material. "Black Sun" sits in Volunteer Park across from the Seattle Asian Art Museum, where Noguchi specifically chose the site for its panoramic views. The sculpture draws on Japanese garden forms and the circular shapes he explored throughout his career.