Tadashi Sato
Encyclopedia
Tadashi Sato was an American
artist. He was born in Kaupakalua on the Hawaiian island of Maui. His father had been a pineapple laborer, merchant, and calligrapher, and Tadashi’s grandfather was a sumi-e artist.
and calligraphy
. He served in the Army in the Pacific during World War II and went on to attend Cannon School of Business in Honolulu. He then pursued his interest in art at the Honolulu Academy of Arts
. In 1948 he went to New York to study at the Brooklyn Museum Art School
, Pratt Institute
and the New York School for Social Research.
Sato's break came while he was working as a security guard at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York. A friend, who had been working as a movie extra, introduced him to actors Charles Laughton
and Burgess Meredith
, who were both art collectors. They visited Sato’s apartment and bought several paintings. Sato promptly called his boss at the museum to resign.
Between 1950 and 1960, he traveled back and forth between New York and Hawaii, exhibiting both in Hawaii and on the mainland. In 1960, Tadashi, his wife Kiyoko and two children returned to the islands. In 1965 Sato was honored by President Lyndon Johnson at the White House Festival of Arts, alongside Georgia O'Keeffe
, Jackson Pollock
and other American artists. From 1960 until his death in 2005, he lived in Maui. Along with Satoru Abe
, Bumpei Akaji
, Edmund Chung, Tetsuo Ochikubo
, Jerry T. Okimoto
, and James Park, Tadashi Sato was a member of the Metcalf Chateau
, a group of seven Asian-American artists with ties to Honolulu.
Tadashi Sato is considered a member of the abstract expressionist movement. He is known for his abstract and semi-abstract paintings, mosaics, and murals, some, such as Submerged Rocks, inspired by the clear water of his native Hawaii. His goal was to convey a sense of serenity, balance, light and space. Tadashi’s most famous work is Aquarius, a 36-foot circular mosaic on the floor of the atrium of the Hawaii State Capitol
. The piece depicts submerged rocks and water reflections. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
(New York City), the Hawaii State Art Museum
, the Honolulu Academy of Arts
, the University of Arizona Museum of Art
(Tucson, Arizona), the Whitney Museum of American Art
(New York City) and Yale University Art Gallery
are among the public collections holding works of Tadashi Sato.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist. He was born in Kaupakalua on the Hawaiian island of Maui. His father had been a pineapple laborer, merchant, and calligrapher, and Tadashi’s grandfather was a sumi-e artist.
Biography
In childhood, Tadashi studied Japanese sumi inkSumi
Sumi may refer to:* Sumi Jo, a South Korean lyric coloratura soprano* Sumi, of Miga, Quatchi, Sumi and Mukmuk, the mascots of the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics* The Sumi Naga, one of the major Naga tribes in Nagaland, India...
and calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
. He served in the Army in the Pacific during World War II and went on to attend Cannon School of Business in Honolulu. He then pursued his interest in art at the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu Academy of Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
. In 1948 he went to New York to study at the Brooklyn Museum Art School
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
, Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
and the New York School for Social Research.
Sato's break came while he was working as a security guard at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York. A friend, who had been working as a movie extra, introduced him to actors Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
and Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
, who were both art collectors. They visited Sato’s apartment and bought several paintings. Sato promptly called his boss at the museum to resign.
Between 1950 and 1960, he traveled back and forth between New York and Hawaii, exhibiting both in Hawaii and on the mainland. In 1960, Tadashi, his wife Kiyoko and two children returned to the islands. In 1965 Sato was honored by President Lyndon Johnson at the White House Festival of Arts, alongside Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia Totto O'Keeffe was an American artist.Born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, O'Keeffe first came to the attention of the New York art community in 1916, several decades before women had gained access to art training in America’s colleges and universities, and before any of its women artists...
, Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
and other American artists. From 1960 until his death in 2005, he lived in Maui. Along with Satoru Abe
Satoru Abe
Satoru Abe is an American sculptor and painter. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1926. He attended President William McKinley High School, where he took art lessons from Shirley Ximena Hopper Russell...
, Bumpei Akaji
Bumpei Akaji
Bumpei Akaji was an American sculptor. He was born in Lawai, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai in 1921. In 1943 he joined the United States Army and was sent to Italy with the 100th Battalion of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He was inspired by the artwork in Florence and received a discharge...
, Edmund Chung, Tetsuo Ochikubo
Tetsuo Ochikubo
Tetsuo Ochikubo , also known as Bob Ochikubo, was a Japanese-American painter and printmaker who was born in Waipahu, Hawaii, Honolulu county, Hawaii. He served in the United States Army as an infantryman in Europe during World War II...
, Jerry T. Okimoto
Jerry T. Okimoto
Jerry T. Okimoto was a Japanese-American painter and sculptor who was born in Waianae, Hawaii. He is best known for his minimalist works consisting of several solid colored, geometrically shaped pieces of stretched canvas fitted together to form a single work...
, and James Park, Tadashi Sato was a member of the Metcalf Chateau
Metcalf Chateau
The Metcalf Chateau was a group of seven Asian-American artists with ties to Honolulu. It flourished after World War II, and its members were Satoru Abe , Bumpei Akaji , Edmund Chung, Tetsuo Ochikubo , Jerry T...
, a group of seven Asian-American artists with ties to Honolulu.
Tadashi Sato is considered a member of the abstract expressionist movement. He is known for his abstract and semi-abstract paintings, mosaics, and murals, some, such as Submerged Rocks, inspired by the clear water of his native Hawaii. His goal was to convey a sense of serenity, balance, light and space. Tadashi’s most famous work is Aquarius, a 36-foot circular mosaic on the floor of the atrium of the Hawaii State Capitol
Hawaii State Capitol
The Hawaii State Capitol is the official statehouse or capitol building of Hawaii in the United States. From its chambers, the executive and legislative branches perform the duties involved in governing the state...
. The piece depicts submerged rocks and water reflections. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
(New York City), the Hawaii State Art Museum
Hawaii State Art Museum
The No. 1 Capitol District Building, on the site of the former Armed Services YMCA Building, now houses the Hawaii State Art Museum and the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.-History:...
, the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu Academy of Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
, the University of Arizona Museum of Art
University of Arizona Museum of Art
The University of Arizona Museum of Art is an art museum in Tucson, Arizona, operated by the University of Arizona. The museum's permanent collection includes some 5,000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings....
(Tucson, Arizona), the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
(New York City) and Yale University Art Gallery
Yale University Art Gallery
The Yale University Art Gallery houses a significant and encyclopedic collection of art in several buildings on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Although it embraces all cultures and periods, the Gallery possesses especially renowned collections of early Italian painting,...
are among the public collections holding works of Tadashi Sato.