Emiko Nakano

Summary

Emiko Nakano (1925–1990) was an American abstract expressionist painter,[1] printmaker, fiber artist,[2] and fashion Illustrator.

Emiko Nakano
Born(1925-07-04)July 4, 1925
DiedMarch 7, 1990(1990-03-07) (aged 64)
EducationSan Francisco Art Institute,
University of California, Berkeley,
Mills College
Occupation(s)painter, printmaker, fiber artist, fashion Illustrator
Years active1947 to 1960
MovementAbstract expressionism

Biography edit

Emiko Nakano was born on July 4, 1925, in Sacramento, California; her parents were immigrants from Japan.[3][4] She was raised in Chico, California.[3] When Nakano was in high school in 1939, the United States entered World War II.[3] Following the signing of Executive Order 9066, her family was placed internment camp for three years because they were of Japanese ancestry; first at the Merced Assembly Center, followed by Camp Amache.[5][6] When they were released from the camps, the family moved to Richmond, California.[3]

From fall 1947 until the summer of 1951, Nakano attended the California School of Fine Arts (now known as San Francisco Art Institute).[5][7] She studied with Clyfford Still, James Budd Dixon, Edward Corbett, Richard Diebenkorn, Hassel Smith, and Elmer Bischoff.[5] In summer 1949, she attended the University of California, Berkeley; and in the summer 1952, she attended Mills College.[3]

In the 1950s, Nakano worked as a freelance fashion illustrator.[3] She died on March 7, 1990, at the age of 64, in Richmond, California.[3] Her work is in the public museum collection at the Monterey Museum of Art.[8] In 2016 her biography was included in the exhibition catalogue Women of Abstract Expressionism organized by the Denver Art Museum.[9] In 2023 her work was included in the exhibition Action, Gesture, Paint: Women Artists and Global Abstraction 1940-1970 at the Whitechapel Gallery in London.[10]

Exhibitions edit

A select list of exhibitions, by Nakano:

Solo exhibitions edit

  • 2014–2015: Cross the Bridge: Emiko Nakano – Abstract Landscapes, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, California[5]

Group exhibitions edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Art Beat: Monterey Museum of Art sheds light on underrepresented California artists". Monterey Herald. 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  2. ^ Hume, Helen D. (2003-07-30). The Art Lover's Almanac: Serious Trivia for the Novice and the Connoisseur. Wiley. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-7879-6714-7.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Wakida, Patricia (May 19, 2015). "Emiko Nakano". Densho Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  4. ^ Fantone, Laura (2018-03-22). Local Invisibility, Postcolonial Feminisms: Asian American Contemporary Artists in California. Springer. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-137-50670-2.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Marter, Joan (2016-01-01). Women of Abstract Expressionism. Yale University Press. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-300-20842-9.
  6. ^ Cornell, Daniell; Johnson, Mark Dean (2008). Asian American Modern Art: Shifting Currents, 1900-1970. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. pp. 151–152. ISBN 978-0-520-25864-8.
  7. ^ Wechsler, Jeffrey (1997). Asian Traditions/modern Expressions: Asian American Artists and Abstraction, 1945-1970. Harry N. Abrams. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-8109-2682-0.
  8. ^ "Emiko Nakano". Montery Museum of Art. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  9. ^ Marter, Joan M. (2016). Women of abstract expressionism. Denver New Haven: Denver Art Museum Yale University Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780300208429.
  10. ^ Cross, Miriam Dungan (2 November 1952). "Work of 25 Local Artists Picked for Metropolitan Show". Newspapers.com. Oakland Tribune. p. 79. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  11. ^ Chang, Gordon H.; Johnson, Mark Dean; Karlstrom, Paul J.; Spain, Sharon (2008). Asian American Art: A History, 1850-1970. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-5751-5.
  12. ^ Cross, Miriam Dungan (January 23, 1955). "Abstract Works on Two Local Artists on View in Richmond". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 6 September 2021 – via Newspapers.com.