Chess table, model IN-61

Developed for the "The Imagery of Chess" exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in 1944, the Chess table is a masterpiece of the biomorphic aesthetic. The plywood top is inset with lucite discs and pivots above the sculptured aluminum tray to allow storage of the chess pieces. The overall form of the table is consistent with the best of Noguchi's formal sculpture and is itself a work of art.
The table was purchased originally by Mr. Joseph Shapiro, an art patron and founding member of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
Ebonized wood, aluminum, lucite
28"w x 27"d x 19.25"h

Literature: What Modern Was: Design 1935-65, Le Musee des Arts Decoratifs de Montreal, pg 107-108.
Provenance: Joseph Shapiro, Oak Park Donn Shapiro, by descent