Isamu Noguchi’s Mississippi Fountain to move to New Orleans Museum of Art

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) has announced the acquisition of Isamu Noguchi’s monumental granite sculpture, ‘Mississippi Fountain’ (also known as ‘The Mississippi’), gifted by the Besthoff family.

Created between 1961 and 1962, the approximately 40-ton minimalist sculpture was originally designed for K&B Plaza in downtown New Orleans, a collaboration between Noguchi and architect Gordon Bunshaft. The work features a large granite column topped by a crescent capital and was intended to symbolize the elemental power of the Mississippi River.

This autumn, the sculpture will be relocated from the Central Business District to the museum’s Beaux Arts entrance in City Park. The relocation process will involve lifting the piece approximately 40 feet into the air using a crane and transporting it in a custom steel cage. Once installed, the museum plans to reactivate the sculpture’s water feature after years of disuse.