Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was a Japanese-American artist who sculpted stone, wood, metal, and clay. He designed iconic furniture and lighting, built gardens and parks, and experimented with large scale earthworks. He worked all over the world but maintained a base in Long Island City, to where he commuted by taking the Roosevelt Island Tramway and walking across the Roosevelt Island Bridge. Towards the end of his career he converted a nearby printing plant to house and display his favourite works. None of the exhibited works in the garden and museum are captioned, as Noguchi felt that this distracted from the direct appreciation of his work.