Takao Tanabe: Life & Work

By Ian Thom

Born in 1926 in the fishing community of Seal Cove, British Columbia, in 1937 Takao Tanabe moved with his parents and six siblings to Vancouver. His life was uprooted in 1942, when he and his family, among the 22,000 Japanese Canadians dispossessed and displaced by the government during the Second World War, were sent to an internment camp in the interior of B.C. Despite this challenging early life, Tanabe went on to forge a career that has changed the way we see and understand this country and its landscapes.

In Takao Tanabe: Life & Work , author Ian Thom explores the artist's extraordinary story and legacy, illuminating his many magisterial works and unique vision that began in 1944, when, after moving to Winnipeg, Tanabe found work as a sign painter. He soon discovered a world of artistic opportunities outside of commercial work and began to flourish as a student at the Winnipeg School of Art, his singular approach continuing to evolve over time and with travel. Stints in New York, London, and Europe during the early 1950s piqued his interest in abstract experimentation, while a 1959 trip to Japan introduced him to traditional calligraphy and sumi-e (Japanese ink painting).

In the early 1970s Tanabe began his Prairie paintings, a series that would cement his reputation, distilling vast expanses of land into evocative images that blurred the lines between representation and abstraction. A move back to B.C. in the 1980s led him to reconceive the coastal landscapes of his childhood. In addition to his own widely celebrated creative accomplishments, Tanabe has played an integral role in supporting new generations of artists as a teacher, philanthropist, and advocate. His contributions to the arts in Canada are unparalleled.