Akio Takamori
Japanese-American ceramic sculptor (1950–2017)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Akio Takamori (1950 – 2017) was a Japanese-American ceramic sculptor and educator. Takamori often incorporated human forms into his creations.[1]
Akio Takamori | |
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| Born | October 11, 1950 Nobeoka, Miyazaki Japan |
| Died | January 11, 2017 (aged 66) |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Musashino Art University, Kansas City Art Institute, Alfred University |
| Known for | Ceramic sculpture |
| Website | akiotakamori |
Early life and education
Takamori was born in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan on October 11, 1950.[2][3] His childhood home had his father's attached medical clinic which was to be later a one of several sources for his inspiration.[4] In Japan, Takamori attended Musashino Art University.[5] In 1974, he moved to the United States and attended the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) where he studied with ceramist Ken Ferguson who encouraged him to work figuratively.[6] Takamori received an MFA in 1978 from Alfred University in New York.[7] He subsequently had artist residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation in Montana, the European Ceramic Workcentre in the Netherlands, and the Kecskemét International Ceramic Studios in Hungary.[6]
Career
He moved to Vashon Island in 1988 and set up a studio with a salt kiln and lived there until 1994.[8] While there, in 1993, Takamori began his teaching career at the University of Washington where he taught until he retired in 2014 as professor emeritus.[9][10]
Takamori died on January 11, 2017, in Seattle, Washington[2][3] of pancreatic cancer.[4]
Select shows and collections
His work is in the collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art,[11] the Los Angeles County Museum of Art,[12] the Museum of Arts and Design,[13] the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art,[14] the Victoria and Albert Museum,[15] His work, Alice with Rose, was acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum as part of the Renwick Gallery's 50th Anniversary Campaign.[16][17]
In 2000, the Racine Art Museum held a retrospective of his work.[7] In 2022, the Vashon Center for the Arts held a retrospective of his work curated by his wife Vicky and the James Harris Gallery.[8] In 2024, the Keramikmuseum Westerwald in Höhr-Grenzhausen held an exhibition entitled "Akio Takamori: Consideration" in which his drawings, ceramic figurative work of couples, as well as his karako were shown.[6]
Awards and honors
In 2001, Takamori received a Virginia A. Groot Foundation Award.[18] In 2006, Takamori became a Fellow of the American Craft Council.[10] The same year he was awarded a Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant.[19]