Born Takehisa Matsudaira in Seattle, he was educated in Kanazawa, Japan and returned to Seattle in 1935. While he and his family were detained in the Minidoka Internment Camp, John enlisted in the US Army and served in the legendary 442nd Infantry Regiment, the most decorated military unit in US history. After suffering life threatening injuries during the war, Matsudaira returned to Seattle and enrolled in the Burnley School, studying painting with Jacob Elshin and Nick Damascus. He quickly developed an important regional reputation and worked informally with other local Nisei artists such as Paul Horiuchi, George Tsutakawa and Kenjiro Nomura all of whom were represented by Zoe Dusanne, one of Seattle’s most important and progressive early art galleries.
Featured were works from the 1940’s through the 1970’s, including paintings, prints and watercolors depicting his figurative and later abstract styles.
May 13, 2016 – August 28, 2016