Takao Tanabe: Sumie Ink Brush Paintings

Exhibit catalogue, February 13 - May 8, 2016.

Curated by Sherri Kajiwara

2026 highlights a decade since Takao Tanabe's beloved Sumie: ink brush painting exhibition at the NNMCC, as well as his 100th birthday in September!

Special offer in-store only! Purchase the Near the Sea art print and receive this catalogue for free! While supplies last.

__________

Born on the west coast of Canada in 1926, Tanabe's education was cut short when racism, politics, and the tragic events of World War II impelled the forced dispersal of all Japanese Canadians from the coast, and exiled him first to Slocan, then Lemon Creek, and finally to Winnipeg.

Sumie is often translated as brush painting, ink wash painting, or Japanese ink painting. In 1959, in part funded by a Canada Council artist grant, Canadian-born painter Takao Tanabe visited Japan for the very first time. For two years, he studied with sumie and calligraphy masters in Tokyo. Although celebrated across Canada for his seminal landscapes with low horizons, primarily focusing on the west coast of Canada, Tanabe’s sumie paintings display a confident delicacy of technique, exploring both traditional Japanese subject matter and abstraction.

This catalogue records the artworks presented in our gallery, a sneak peak into his studio, along with an extensive interview between the artist and curator.