Riko Mizuno (born 1932) is a gallerist, art dealer, and artist. Born in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan, she moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s to study ceramics at

Chouinard Art Institute The Chouinard Art Institute was a professional art school founded in 1921 by Nelbert Chouinard, Nelbert Murphy Chouinard (1879–1969) in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In 1961, Walt Disney, Walt and ...

. Between 1966 and 1984, Mizuno operated galleries at three locations in Los Angeles. Artist

Vija Celmins Vija Celmins ( ;Hilarie M. Sheets and Randy Kennedy (September 24, 2015)''New York Times''. ; ; born October 25, 1938) is a Latvian American visual artist best known for photo-realistic paintings and drawings of natural environments and phenomen ...

characterized Mizuno's contribution to the art world in a 1993 interview with Susan Morgan of the ''Los Angeles Times'': "Riko Mizuno was very important to artists in Los Angeles. She created an incredibly nurturing atmosphere. We would sit around her kitchen, drinking sake, eating her delicious food, and always talking, talking."

Mizuno Gallery

In 1966, Mizuno opened Gallery 669 on La Cienega Boulevard. She collaborated briefly at 669 with Eugenia Butler. In 1969 she re-opened the gallery as Mizuno Gallery. Mizuno Gallery operated until 1984 at three locations: on La Cienega Boulevard, in Little Tokyo, and on N. Robertson Boulevard. Over this period, she exhibited the work of artists such as Larry Bell,

Billy Al Bengston Billy Al Bengston (June 7, 1934 – October 8, 2022) was an American visual artist and sculptor who lived and worked in Venice, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii. Bengston was probably best known for work he created that reflected California's " ...

, Robert Irwin, Ed Moses, and Ken Price, many of whom had been associated in the 1960s with the

Ferus Gallery The Ferus Gallery was a contemporary art gallery which operated from 1957 to 1966. In 1957, the gallery was located at 736-A North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles in the U.S. state of California. In 1958, it was relocated across the street to ...

, as well as the early works of artists who later became notable, such as

Chris Burden Christopher Lee Burden (April 11, 1946 – May 10, 2015) was an American artist working in performance art, sculpture, and installation art. Burden became known in the 1970s for his performance art works, including ''Shoot (Burden), Shoot'' (1971) ...

Jack Goldstein Jack Goldstein (September 27, 1945 – March 14, 2003) was a Canadian born, California and New York-based performance and conceptual artist turned post-conceptual painter in the 1980s. Early life and education Goldstein was born to a Jewish ...

, Mike Kelley,

Alexis Smith Margaret Alexis Smith (June 8, 1921 – June 9, 1993) was a Canadian-born American actress, pin-up girl and singer. She appeared in several major Hollywood films in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Aw ...

, and Doug Wheeler. In a 1973 article on Burden,

Peter Plagens Peter Plagens (born 1941) is an American artist, art critic, and novelist based in New York City.Online Archive of CaliforniaPeter Plagens papers, 1938-2014 Retrieved January 18, 2018.Smith, Roberta''The New York Times'', February 7, 2018. Retrie ...

referred to Mizuno's gallery, where Burden had recently performed ''Dead Man'', as a "young artist showplace".

Notes

External links

Mizuno Gallery Records, 1955-2005, bulk 1966-1988. Finding aid to the collection, on the Online Archive of California.

Video: Riko Mizuno, Vija Celmins, and Ed Moses speak about the Mizuno Gallery (Pacific Standard Time at the Getty)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mizuno, Riko American art dealers American artists of Japanese descent American conceptual artists 1932 births Living people Artists from Tokyo Japanese emigrants to the United States Art museums and galleries in Los Angeles Contemporary art galleries in the United States Art museums and galleries established in 1969 Defunct art museums and galleries in California Women art dealers