The Noguchi Museum was founded and designed by internationally renowned American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) for the display of what he considered to be representative examples of his life’s work. In 1980, Noguchi renamed his Akari Foundation as the Isamu Noguchi Foundation in anticipation of the Museum’s creation. The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum officially opened to the public on May 11, 1985.

In 2004, the private Isamu Noguchi Foundation and The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum, which it operated, were consolidated into a single entity. Chartered as The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, The Noguchi Museum is a 501(c)(3) public charity; and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).