Barnes Foundation exhibition explores Japanese American artists and postwar modernism

The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia has launched a new exhibition titled ‘Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America’. The show brings together the works of six Japanese American artists—Isamu Noguchi, George Nakashima, Leo Amino, S. Neil Fujita, Kay Sekimachi, and Ruth Asawa—to examine their influence on American modernism.

The exhibition explores how the experience of wartime incarceration and its aftermath shaped the careers and artistic outputs of these individuals. Rather than treating their confinement as an isolated incident, the exhibition argues that these experiences influenced training, material availability, and the trajectory of modern design in American homes.

The collection spans various disciplines, including sculpture, furniture, fiber art, and graphic design. Notably, the exhibition highlights the work of S. Neil Fujita, the designer behind iconic cultural artifacts such as the cover for Dave Brubeck’s ‘Time Out’ album and the jacket for Mario Puzo’s ‘The Godfather’. The exhibition runs from September 20, 2026, through January 10, 2027.