Despite the hardships, racism, and degradation of being detained in an internment camp during WWII, Takao Tanabe (b. 1926) would rise to become one of Canada's most accomplished artists of the 20th century.

At the end of WWII, Tanabe began his formal education at Winnipeg School of Art, with the intention of becoming a sign painter. By the early 1950s, a combination of luck, ambition, and talent brought him to New York City. There he studied with Reuben Tam and Hans Hoffmann, absorbing the emerging aesthetic trends of abstract expressionism.

This evocative and elegant watercolor marks Tanabe's gradual transition from abstract expressionism to figuration which began in the 1980s. The light-bathed horizon is a paradigm of Tanabe's style; taking the basic elements of a landscape, and expressing them in an ephemeral, misty, and atmospheric vision. 

Tanabe's work can be found in numerous important collections across Canada and beyond including the Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), Glenbow Museum (Calgary), the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), and the Tate Museum, U.K

Questions about this piece?  or call 1.416.704.1720

"Shoreline"

Canada, 1980

Signed and dated by the artist

Watercolor 

11"H 15.25"W (work)

13.5"H 19"W (frame)

Very good condition.

Note: price is $4,500 CAD