Paul Horiuchi  Japanese-American (1906 - 1999)

Paul Horiuchi was born in Japan in 1906 and as a young man studied calligraphy, sumi painting, and watercolor, under the eye of artist Iketani. He came to the United States in 1922, and moved to Seattle in 1946, where he then associated himself with the Zen Master Takazaki. He began making collages in 1954.

Horiuchi initially painted in oils, turning gradually to collage. He dyed sheets of handmade rice and mulberry paper with casein and other pigments, producing a palette of colors. He then tore these papers into different shapes, the frayed lacy edges contributing an aesthetic quality, and pasted them into different configurations. The abstract designs reveal an Oriental influence.

Horiuchi enjoyed a close, long-lasting friendship with Mark Tobey. They shared an interest in Zen philosophy and Asian antiques and spent many hours together. His first major one-artist exhibit was held at the Zoe Dusanne Gallery in Seattle in 1957. This was followed in 1958 by a one-artist exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum. In 1969, a retrospective exhibition was held at both the Museum of Art at the University of Oregon and the Seattle Art Museum.

Horiuchi has been the recipient of many honors and awards. A Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle was granted him in 1955. His works are in the collections of major museums, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, and Cambridge University, England.

 

"Shapes: Paul Horiuchi Collage, Gerard Tsutakawa Sculpture" Museum of Northwest Art, Seattle 1996.

"East and West" Museum of Northwest Art, Seattle 2008