George Tsutakawa dedicated his life to art and the freedom of expression that it granted him. Tsutakawa worked in a number of media, including paint, bronze, and clay. Born in Seattle in 1910, Tsutakawa went to live with his maternal grandmother in Japan from 1917 to 1927. Upon Tsutakawa's return to Seattle, he began to study art and help with the family import/export business. His time spent in Japan as a child – especially the traditional tea ceremonies performed by his uncle – inform his work, as did the beauty of the Pacific Northwest region and the art of the Northwest Masters. Tsutakawa attended the University of Washington, and received his MFA in 1950.
In 1960 the City of Seattle commissioned George Tsutakawa to create Fountain of Wisdom, for the Seattle Library; this project was the first art commission by the city of Seattle since 1908. Between 1960 and 1990, the artist designed and created over 60 fountains throughout the United States, Canada, and Japan. He exhibited extensively throughout Japan, the United States and Canada beginning in the 1950’s. Tsutakawa was awarded many honors throughout his career including the Order of Rising Sun Award, fourth class, from the Emperor of Japan.
Chronology
1910 Born February 22 in Seattle, the fourth of the nine children of Shozo and Hisa Tsutakawa.
1916-17 Attended Lowell Elementary School on Capital Hill.
1917 Sent to Fukuyama, Japan, to live with Mutsu Naito, his maternal grandmother.
1917-27 In Japan, attended public grade school and high school.
1927 Returned to Seattle, estranged from his father. Settled to live with extended family associated with his father's business concerns and worked in the family's produce market on Jackson Street for several years.
1928 Attended Pacific Elementary School to relearn English. Won second prize for soapstone sculpture contest sponsored by The Seattle Times
1928-32 Attended Broadway High School and studied printmaking with Hannah Jones and English watercolor with Matilda Piper.
1930-35 In the summers, worked on farms in Auburn and Kent and at the salmon cannery at Union Bay, Alaska. Made many sketches.
1932 Won first prize with a linoleum cut print in a national art contest sponsored by Scholastic Magazine. Submitted block prints to Northwest Printmakers annual exhibition at the Henry Gallery, Seattle.
1932-37 Attended University of Washington School of Art. Studied sculpture with Dudley Pratt, watercolor with Ray Hill, and painting with Walter Isaacs and Ambrose Patterson.
1934 Oil painting accepted in the Northwest Annual sponsored by the Seattle Art Museum. During this time traveled to many sites in the Northwest on painting and sketching trips.
1935-41 Worked as store manager for Tsutakawa Co., the family business. Continued to paint and exhibit regularly. Met and associated with Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, Guy Anderson, Dudley Carter, Bill Gamble, Fay Chong, Kenjiro Nomura, Kamekichi Tokita, and Takuichi Fujii.
1936-52 Studied sculpture with Alexander Archipenko and Paul Bonifas.
1941-45 Inducted into the U.S. Army as infantryman and trained in Arkansas, Texas, and Mississippi. His family was interned; their property was confiscated and was never recovered.
1943-45 Instructor of Japanese language at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, U.S. Army Intelligence Language School. Was made staff sergeant. During this time continued to sketch and paint and had the opportunity to travel widely across the U.S., mostly by train. Visited museums and galleries in New York.
1946 Was honorably discharged and returned to Seattle. Taught Japanese language in Far East Department, University of Washington, for one semester.
1947 Became part-time art instructor, School of Art, University of Washington. Married Ayame Iwasa, whom he had met at Tule Lake internment camp. Became deeply involved in sculpture and also continued to paint. First child, Gerard, born.
1947-48 Became full-time art instructor, School of Art, University of Washington. Was reconciled with his father.
1949 Daughter Mayumi born.
1950 Received MFA in sculpture at the University of Washington. Began teaching classes in the School of Architecture. Began association with many prominent Northwest architects.
1952 Son Deems born.
1955 Appointed full professor of art at University of Washington. Son Marcus born.
1956 Read about obos, rock piles with ritual significance, in Beyond the High Himalayas, by Justice William Douglas. Introduced to Douglas byJohsel Namkung. Began study of Tibetan culture and obos. Traveled to Japan for the first time since 1927 (visited Japan again in 1969, then annually from 1979 to 1988).
1957 Created the first obos sculpture in wood. Began to work with sumi ink, a practice continued throughout his career.
1960 Designed and executed first fountain sculpture, Fountain of Wisdom, at Seattle Public Library, assisted by engineer Jack Uchida, who has since been consistently associated with 1960 Tsutakawa's fountains. This was the first public sculpture commissioned in Seattle since 1908. Received design award from American Institute of Architects. Presented Obos No. 7 to Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko of Japan.
1960-90 Completed 60 fountain sculptures in major public sites in the U.S., Canada, and Japan.
1962 Designed Century 21 World's Fair U.S. Commemorative Medal, struck by U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.
1963 Took three-month sabbatical leave to Western Europe with son Gerard. Visited 10 countries and observed many fountains.
1964 Made first trip to Mexico with his family (also traveled to the Yucatan in 1974).
1967 Received Washington State Governor's Award of Commendation
1969 Research travel to Japan, Taiwan, Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Iran Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, and England with Ayame. Visited Mark Tobey in Switzerland.
1974 Completed first aluminum fountain sculpture, for Expo`74 site, Spokane, also designed U.S. Commemorative Medal for Expo `74 World's Fair, struck by U.S. Mint.
1976 Became professor emeritus, ending 30-year teaching association with University of Washington.
1978 Traveled to Egypt.
1979 Spirit of the Ancient Warrior, bronze sculpture, presented to Governor Shiro Nagano of Okayama Prefecture in Japan.
1981 Received Order of Rising Sun Award, Fourth Class, from Emperor of Japan. Also received Washington State Historical Society's Centennial Hall of Honor Award.
1983 Completed bronze memorial sculpture for Japanese Americans interned at temporary assembly center in Puyallup, Washington, during World War II.
1984 Received Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus award from University of Washington Alumni Association. Received award form Seattle Chapter, American Institute of Architects.
Received Honor's Award sculpture commission from King County Arts Commission.
1986 Received Honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree from Seattle University and Honorary
Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington.
1988 Received Distinguished Alumnus award, Broadway High School Alumni Association, Seattle. Chosen by the Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art, Western Region, as one of two major artists to be documented in interviews videotaped at artist's studio in Seattle and in various locations in Japan.
1989 Exhibited in "12 Sculptors Exhibit," City of Sendai, for international sculptors featured in the municipal collection, on the occasion of the city's centennial celebration.
1990 Prints, sculpture, oil and watercolor paintings, works in sumi, and functional objects from six decades shown in definitive retrospective exhibition at Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, Washington.
1997 Died December 18 in Seattle, Washington
Selected Solo Exhibtions
1947 Studio Gallery, Seattle
1950 Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle (also 1965)
1952 Altman Prechek Gallery, Bellevue, Washington
1953 Zoe Dusanne Gallery, Seattle (also 1958)
1957 Seattle Art Museum
1962 Summer Art Festival, Michigan State University, East Lansing
1964 Kittredge Gallery, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma
1976 Pacific Northwest Arts Center, Seattle Art Museum
1977 Foster/White Gallery, Seattle (also 1978,1981,1984,1988)
1981 Koko-kan Museum, Sendai, Japan
1982 Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum, University of Washington, Seattle
1985 PONCHO Gallery, Seattle Art Museum Pavilion
1986 Port Angeles Art Center inaugural exhibition, Port Angeles, Washington
1987 "George Tsutakawa Fountains," Valley Museum of Northwest Art, LaConner, Washington
1990 "George Tsutakawa," definitive retrospective exhibition, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
Selected Group Exhibitions
Tsutakawa began exhibiting widely in the 1950s. He showed regularly at the Puyallup Fair Art Exhibition, Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair, Northwest Annual, Northwest Watercolor Exhibition, and Northwest Printmakers' Annual and was active in Northwest Sculpture Society exhibitions. During these early decades he was invited to many exhibitions including III Sao Paulo Bienal, 1955; "Northwest Art Today," Century 21 World's Fair, 1962, Expo `70, Osaka; and "Art of the Thirties,"Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, 1972. He won many awards, notably at the 79th Annual, San Francisco Art Museum; the Third Pacific Coast Biennial, Santa Barbara Museum of Art; and the 66th Annual Exhibition of Western Art, Denver Art Museum. Since 1960, when the artist started his long-standing commitment to the creation of fountains, he has continued to exhibit sculpture and painting.
1974 "Art of the Pacific Northwest," National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (traveling exhibition)
1975 "Northwest Artists Today, Part 2: Painting and Sculpture," Seattle Art Museum
1978 "Governor's Invitational Art Exhibition," State Capitol Museum, Olympia (also 1964,1966-67,1973,1975)
1978 "Northwest Traditions," Seattle Art Museum
1978 "George Tsutakawa and Morris Graves: Painting, Drawings and Sculpture," Olin Gallery, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington
1978 "Invitational Candidacy Exhibition," American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, New York (also 1981)
1982 "Pacific Northwest Artists and Japan," National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan, and Seattle Art Museum
1983 "American Prints of the 1930s and 1940s," Seattle Art Museum
1987 "Seattle Style," Bumbershoot, Seattle Center
1987 "BumberBiennale: Seattle Sculpture 1927-1987," Seattle Center
1987-88 "Seattle Style," sumi-e group show (touring exhibit in France including Musee des Beaux-Arts,Carcassonne; Musee Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Albi; Musee d'Art temporain,Dunkerque)
1988 "Sumi Paintings," Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, Washington
1989 "Washington State Centennial Art Exhibition," Tacoma Art Museum
Selected Public Commissions
1956 Door sculpture, walnut, two panels, 14"x30"; Canlis Restaurant, Seattle
1958 Follow the Leader, walnut relief, 20"x30"; St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle
1959 Eskimo Dance, walnut relief, 55"x20"; A.A. Cannon, Anchorage
1960 Fountain of Wisdom, bronze, 12'x6'x6', Seattle Public Library
Sculptured fountain, bronze, 7'x6'x6'; Renton Center, Renton, Washington
1961 Sculptured fountain group, bronze, 7'5" and 5'x8'x3'; Lloyd Center, Portland, Oregon
1962 Fountain group, bronze, 7'x6'x5'; Northgate Shopping Center, Seattle (removed)
1963 Fountain, bronze, 25'x12'; Robinson's Department Store, Anaheim, California (site redesigned by client, water eliminated)
1964 Fountain of Good Life, bronze, 12'x7'; Commerce Tower, sunken plaza, Kansas City, Missouri Fountain, bronze, 9'x7'; Pacific First Federal Savings Bank, Tacoma, Washington (relocated)
Obos Fountain, bronze, 12'
Fountain of Reflection, bronze, 4';Civic Mall, Fresno, California Fountain, bronze, 5'; Mr. and Mrs. Langdon Simon, Medina, Washington (donated to Seattle Art Museum, 1988
1965 Fountain for home office, bronze; Charles Luckman Associates, Architects, Los Angeles
1966 Fountain, bronze, 6'x3'x4'; University YWCA, Seattle Waiola Waiola Fountain, bronze, 15'; Ala Moana Center, Honolulu
Joshua Green Fountain, bronze, 6'x9'x7'; Washington State Ferry Terminal, Pier 41, Seattle Fountain, bronze, 3'; Northwestern Auto Bank, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
1967 Gates, Bronze, 9'x21'; Lake City Library, Seattle Fountain of Reflection (Phi Mu Fountain), bronze, 5'; MacKenzie Hall, School of Business, University of Washington, Seattle
Hobart Fountain, bronze, 20'; Hobart Research Center, Troy, Ohio Naramore Fountain, bronze, 18' Naramore Park, Seattle
Fountain, bronze, 6'; School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles
1968 East Cloister Garth Fountain, bronze, 10'; National Cathedral, Washington, DC Fountain sculpture, bronze, 3'; Minor Clinic, Everett, Washington
1969 Fountain of Pioneers, bronze, 15'x8'; Bentall Centre, Vancouver, B.C.
Obos 69 Fountain, bronze, 15'x8'; Bentall Centre, Vancouver, B.C.
Two fountains, bronze, 3'; Seattle First National Bank Building, Seattle (relocated)
1970 Fountain pair, bronze, 9'; Pompano Fashion Square, Pompano Beach, Florida (removed)
Pacific First Federal Fountain, bronze, 10'x7'x4'; Pacific First Federal Savings Bank, Bellevue,
Washington Fountain, bronze, 6'; Group Health Hospital, Seattle
1971 Moon Song Fountain, bronze, 6'; Seattle Post-Intelligencer Building, Seattle (redesigned for new building)
Jefferson Plaza Fountain, bronze, 15'x8'x8'; Indianapolis, Indiana
Baptismal font, bronze; Saint Martin's Abbey Church, Olympia, Washington
1972 Rain Fountain No.2, stainless steel, 6'; Burien Library, Seattle
1973 Fountain sculpture, bronze, 8'x5'x5'; Seattle Central Community College, Seattle
Safeco Fountain, bronze, 13'x9'x9'; Safeco Plaza, Seattle Rain Fountain No.3, stainless steel, 6½'; Design Center Northwest, Seattle
1974 Fine Arts Court Fountain, bronze, 8'x5'x5'; Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Fountain, bronze, 26'x7'; Somerset Inn, Troy, Michigan (site redesigned by client; water eliminated) Expo '74 Fountain, aluminum, 17'x7'x7'; Spokane, Washington
1975 Fountain sculpture, bronze, 4'x3'x3'; Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Edmondson, Seattle
1976 Fount Zen, bronze, 3'; Mr. and Mrs. Doug Fox, Camano Island, Washington
Fountain sculpture, bronze, 8'; Northwest Medical Center, Bellingham, Washington
Bronze gates; University Arboretum, Seattle
1977 Heaven, Man and Earth, fountain sculpture, bronze, 10'; City Hall Plaza, Aberdeen, Washington
1978 Sculpture, bronze, 14'; International District, Seattle
1979 Sculpture, bronze, 15'; North Kitsap High School, Silverdale, Washington
Spirit of Ancient Warrior, bronze, 24"; Seattle Okayama Club, Seattle; presented by Governor Shiro Nagano, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
1981 Song of the Forest, fountain, bronze, 20'; Tsutsujigaoka Park, City of Sendai, Japan
Hanging Fountain, Stainless Steel, 20'; KING Broadcasting Corporation, Seattle
1982 Fountain of Vibrant Spring, bronze, 15'; Okura Park, Setagqya-Ku, Tokyo
Fountain group, bronze, 7'x3'x4'; Sheraton Hotel, Seattle
1983 Chalice Fountain, bronze, 15' (Minoru Yamasaki, architect); Government Center, Toledo, Ohio
Fountain of Joy, bronze; 15'; Setagaya Park, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo Memorial sculpture for West Coast Japanese Americans interned during World War II, bronze, 10'x30"x30"; Puyallup Fairgrounds, Puyallup, Washington
Fountain for private garden, bronze, 5'x18"x16"; Governor's Mansion, Olympia, Washington
1983 Fountain, 5'x3'x3'; Thomas McCarthy residence, Bellevue, Washington
1986 Play sculpture, stainless steel, 12'x10'x5'; King County Administration Building, Seattle
Small fountain, bronze, 4'x4'x4'; Mr. and Mrs. James Pigott residence, Seattle
1987 Small fountain, bronze, 5'; Keiro Nursing Home, Seattle
Marionwood Fountain, bronze, 20'; Marionwood, Issaquah, Washington
Fountain of Hope, bronze, 8'; Water Department Building #2, Sapporo, Japan
1988 Lotus Fountain, bronze, 6'x9'x7'; Fukuyama Fine Art Museum, Fukuyama, Japan
1989 Centennial Fountain, bronze, 16'; Central Plaza, Seattle University, Seattle
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