In 1967, Isamu Noguchi was chosen by the Seattle Art Museum and the Municipal Art Commission to create a monumental sculpture for Volunteer Park in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Two years later, in 1969, The Black Sun, was placed in front of the park’s reservoir. The monolithic ring form of Brazilian black granite stands 9 feet in diameter, with the circular gap in the center of the work framing a panoramic view of Seattle and the Olympic Mountains.
The artist gifted an edition of 57 small cast iron Black Sun maquettes to the Seattle Art Museum commemorating the sculpture’s installation. Several examples were given to supporters of the project while the remaining maquettes, including the present lot, were sold at the museum store in 1991.
