Phoenix Art Museum
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Among the many chess sets designed by modern artists in the 20th century, few were as innovative and deeply rooted in tradition as this one by Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. It was designed in 1944 during a time of wartime scarcity of quality materials, a situation that both limited and inspired Noguchi. He eventually landed on plexiglass, a new experimental material that was developed to mass-produce clear aircraft canopies and gun turrets.
Noguchi’s chess pieces are mini abstract sculptures and they became prototypes for the sculptures he later conceived in that era. The colors Noguchi chose are deeply rooted in Indian culture—classic Indian chess sets have red and green pieces, sometimes made from rubies and emeralds.
The modern shapes of the pieces, with the exception of the rook, feature headlike forms and arched spines. Noguchi’s Perspex folding chess board evokes Indian and Persian black lacquered chess boards that had round inlays (in place of traditional squares) made from mother of pearl or ivory. Noguchi’s version is designed with red and translucent white circular plexiglass inlays.
Noguchi’s Chess Set was first displayed at a chess exhibition in 1944 at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York, organized by Levy and artists Marcel Duchamp and Max Ernset. The show also included sets by Alexander Calder, Man Ray and Surrealist manifesto author André Breton.
This newly issued, authorized edition of the Isamu Noguchi Chess Set is made in Switzerland from Perspex plexiglass, including the folding board, which measures 22l x 24”w. The tallest piece, the King, measures 3”h.
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For additional information, please contact The Museum Store at store@phxart.org.
In-store pickup is available on most items at no charge by selecting the pickup option at checkout. An email notification is generated and sent as soon as items are packaged and ready for pickup.
Pickup is available Wednesday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm. Please visit The Museum Store or park near the red dinosaur sculpture on the north side of The Museum and call 602-257-2182 when you arrive. We can bring your items out to you.
An additional email notification will be sent for any items not picked up after 10 days of order receipt.
Orders not picked up after 20 days of order receipt will receive a final email notification.
Items not picked up after 30 days of order receipt will be considered abandoned and processed as a donation to The Museum.
Please inspect your order upon delivery. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you may return the merchandise for a replacement, exchange, or refund within 30 days of purchase with the original receipt and product tag attached.
Clearance items and consumables such as nail polish and perfume are final sale and non-returnable. Gift recipients will receive a merchandise credit in the form of a Museum Store gift card.
Museum Store Returns
1625 N Central Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85004
Tel. 602-257-2182
Members of Phoenix Art Museum save 10% off all regularly priced merchandise!
Members of Phoenix Art Museum save 10% off all regularly priced merchandise!
