Satoru Abe

Satoru Abe (June 13, 1926 – February 4, 2025) was an American sculptor and painter renowned for his abstract works inspired by natural forms, particularly trees. Born in Moʻiliʻili, Honolulu, Hawaii, Abe played a pivotal role in the Hawaiian modernist movement and was a founding member of the Metcalf Chateau, a collective of seven Asian American artists. Over a prolific career spanning several decades, his art garnered national recognition, with pieces featured in prominent institutions such as the Honolulu Museum of Art and the Hawaii State Art Museum. In 1984, he was honored as a "Living Treasure" by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, reflecting his significant contributions to the arts in Hawaii and beyond.

Life and career

Abe was born in Moiliili, a district of Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended President William McKinley High School, where he took art lessons from Shirley Ximena Hopper Russell. After graduating from high school he worked for the Dairymen's Association. In 1947 he began taking art lessons from Hon Chew Hee and decided to pursue an art career in New York City. On his way to New York, in 1948, Abe spent a summer at the California School for Fine Arts. When he reached New York Abe attended the Art Students League of New York where he studied with Yasuo Kuniyoshi, George Grosz, Louis Bouche, and Jon Corbino. From 1948 to 1959, Abe traveled to New York regularly.Papanikolas, Theresa and Stephen Salel, Stephen, ''Abstract Expressionism, Looking East from the Far West'', Honolulu Museum of Art, 2017, , p. 19 He married Ruth, a fellow student from Wahiawa, and they returned to Hawaii in 1950.

In Hawaii Abe met local artist Isami Doi, who would become a close friend and mentor. Although Abe began as a painter, he learned welding from Bumpei Akaji in 1951, and the two artists began a series of copper work experiments. During these few years in Hawaii, Abe also formed the Metcalf Chateau with Bumpei Akaji, Edmund Chung, Tetsuo Ochikubo, Jerry T. Okimoto, James Park, and Tadashi Sato. Their first group exhibition was in 1954.

In 1956, Abe returned to New York and found a creative home at the SculptureCenter, where his work attracted the attention of gallery owners and others. In 1963, Abe was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. Abe returned to Hawai'i in 1970, and in the same year was offered a National Endowment for the Arts Artist-in-residence grant.

Abe died on February 4, 2025, at the age of 98. Abe believed in reincarnation, which influenced his work.

Works

Abe is best known for his sculptures of abstracted natural forms, many of which resemble trees, such as ''East and West'' in the collection of the Hawaii State Art Museum. He also painted. ''Two Abstract Figures'' in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art typifies this aspect of his work. The Honolulu Museum of Art and the Hawaii State Art Museum are among the public collections that hold Abe's works.Honolulu Museum of Art, ''Spalding House Self-guided Tour, Sculpture Garden'', 2014, PP. 12 & 15 His sculptures in public places include:
* ''Three Rocks on a Hill'', Honolulu Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1975
* ''Among the Ruins'', Leeward Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1973
* ''Tree of Knowledge'', Nanakuli High and Intermediate School, Nanakuli, Hawaii, 1971
* ''Enchanting Garden'', President William McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1983
* ''Three Clouds'', Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1974
* ''An Island of Trees'', Honolulu International Airport, Diamond Head Extension, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1987
* ''The Seed'', Farrington High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1995
* ''Reaching for the Sun'', Hawaii Convention Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1997
* ''Early Spring'', 'Aiea High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
* ''A Community Surrounded by Sugar Cane'', Ka'imiloa Elementary School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1978
* ''Moon Beyond the Fence'', Pearl City High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1981
* ''Spring, Summer, Autumn'', James B. Castle High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1980
* ''Five Logs on a Hill'', Kau High and Pahala Elementary School, Pahala, Hawaii, 1975
* ''Landscape on the Ocean'', Waiakea High School, Waiakea, Hawaii, 1983
* ''Reaching for the Sun'', Iao School, Wailuku, Hawaii, 1981
* ''A Path Through the Trees'', Maui High School, Kahului, Hawaii, 1977
* ''Trees, Vines, Rocks, and Petroglyphs'', Lanai Community School, Lanai City, Hawaii, 1976
* ''Boulders, Salt Pond and Taro Fields'', Eleele Elementary School, Eleele, Hawaii, 1989
* ''Aged Tree'', Kauikeaouli Hale, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
* Untitled sculpture, Leilehua High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
* ''Volcano'', Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1980
*''Growing Out From the Wheel,'' The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2006
*''Kukui ʻĀ Mau I Ke Ao Mālamalama (A Torch That Continues to Burn During the Day)'', Keoneʻae Skyline station, East Kapolei, Hawaii, 2021

References

* Abe, Satoru, Sketches 1956–1966 in ''Bamboo Ridge: Journal of Hawai'i Literature and Arts'', Fall 1991, 7–12.
* Clarke, Joan and Diane Dods, ''Artists/Hawaii'', Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 1996, 2–7.
* Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, ''Satoru Abe, A Retrospective 1948-1998'', Honolulu, The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, 1998.
* Department of Education, State of Hawaii, ''Artists of Hawaii'', Honolulu, Department of Education, State of Hawaii, 1985, pp. 31–38.
* Doi, Isami, Excerpts from "Letters to Satoru Abe, 1952-1965" in ''Bamboo Ridge: Journal of Hawai'i Literature and Arts'', Spring 1998, 57–64.
* Haar, Francis and Neogy, Prithwish, ''Artists of Hawaii: Nineteen Painters and Sculptors'', University of Hawaii Press, 1974, 19–25.
* Hartwell, Patricia L. (editor), ''Retrospective 1967-1987'', Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1987, p. 115
* Honolulu Museum of Art, ''Spalding House Self-guided Tour, Sculpture Garden'', 2014, pp. 12 & 15
* International Art Society of Hawai'i, ''Kuilima Kākou, Hawai'i-Japan Joint Exhibition'', Honolulu, International Art Society of Hawai'i, 2004, p. 7
* Morse, Marcia, ''Legacy: Facets of Island Modernism'', Honolulu, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2001, , pp. 14, 28-33
* Morse, Marcia (ed.), ''Honolulu Printmakers'', Honolulu, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2003, p. 80,
* Morse, Marcia and Allison Wong, ''10 Years: The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center'', The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, 2006, , p. 10
* Radford, Georgia and Warren Radford, ''Sculpture in the Sun, Hawaii's Art for Open Spaces'', University of Hawaii Press, 1978, 91.
* Wong, Allison, ''The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center'', The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu HI, 2006, p. 10
* Yoshihara, Lisa A., ''Collective Visions, 1967-1997'', Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1997, 17.

Footnotes

External Links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abe, Satoru
1926 births
2025 deaths
American male sculptors
American modern sculptors
American modern painters
American abstract sculptors
American abstract painters
American artists of Japanese descent
Artists from Honolulu
American male painters
Sculptors from Hawaii
20th-century American painters
20th-century American sculptors
21st-century American painters
21st-century American sculptors
20th-century American male artists
President William McKinley High School alumni