Satoru Abe (1926 – 2025)

Biography and cause of death of Satoru Abe

Satoru Abe (June 13, 1926 – February 5, 2025) was an American sculptor and painter.

Satoru Abe Life and career

Satoru Abe, East and West, welded copper and bronze, 1971, Hawaii State Art Museum
Two Abstract Figures, oil on canvas painting by Satoru Abe, c. 1955, Honolulu Museum of Art

Abe was born in Moʻiliʻili, a district of Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended President William McKinley High School, where he took art lessons from Shirley Ximena Hopper Russell. After graduating from high school he worked for the Dairymen’s Association. In 1947 he began taking art lessons from Hon Chew Hee and decided to pursue an art career in New York City.

On his way to New York, in 1948, Abe spent a summer at the California School for Fine Arts. When he reached New York Abe attended the Art Students League of New York where he studied with Yasuo Kuniyoshi, George Grosz, Louis Bouche, and Jon Corbino, N.A. (1905-1964). From 1948 to 1959, Abe traveled to New York regularly. He married Ruth, a fellow student from Wahiawa, and they returned to Hawaii in 1950 with their daughter Gail.

In Hawaii Abe met local artist Isami Doi, who would become a close friend and mentor. Although Abe began as a painter, he learned welding from Bumpei Akaji in 1951, and the two artists began a series of copper work experiments. During these few years in Hawaii, Abe also formed the Metcalf Chateau with Bumpei Akaji, Edmund Chung, Tetsuo Ochikubo, Jerry T. Okimoto, James Park, and Tadashi Sato. Their first group exhibition was in 1954.

In 1956, Abe returned to New York and found a creative home at the SculptureCenter, where his work attracted the attention of gallery owners and others. In 1963, Abe was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. Abe returned to Hawai’i in 1970, and in the same year was offered a National Endowment for the Arts Artist-in-residence grant.

Abe died on February 5, 2025, at the age of 98.

Satoru Abe Beliefs

Abe believed in reincarnation, which influenced his work.

Satoru Abe Works

Abe is best known for his sculptures of abstracted natural forms, many of which resemble trees, such as East and West in the collection of the Hawaii State Art Museum. He also painted. Two Abstract Figures in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art typifies this aspect of his work. The Honolulu Museum of Art and the Hawaii State Art Museum are among the public collections that hold Abe’s works. His sculptures in public places include:

Three Rocks on a Hill, Honolulu Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1975
Among the Ruins, Leeward Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1973
Tree of Knowledge, Nanakuli High and Intermediate School, Nanakuli, Hawaii, 1971
Enchanting Garden, President William McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1983
Three Clouds, Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1974

An Island of Trees, Honolulu International Airport, Diamond Head Extension, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1987
The Seed, Farrington High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1996
Reaching for the Sun, Hawaii Convention Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1997
Early Spring, ‘Aiea High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
A Community Surrounded by Sugar Cane, Kamiloa Elementary School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1978.

Moon Beyond the Fence, Pearl City High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1981
Spring, Summer, Autumn, James B. Castle High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1980.
Five Logs on a Hill, Kau High and Pahala Elementary School, Pahala, Hawaii, 1975
Landscape on the Ocean, Waiakea High School, Waiakea, Hawaii, 1983
Reaching for the Sun, Iao School, Wailuku, Hawaii, 1981
A Path Through the Trees, Maui High School, Kahului, Hawaii, 1977
Trees, Vines, Rocks, and Petroglyphs, Lanai Community School, Lanai City, Hawaii, 1976

Boulders, Salt Pond and Taro Fields, Eleele Elementary School, Eleele, Hawaii, 1989
Aged Tree, Kauikeaouli Hale, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
Untitled sculpture, Leilehua High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
Volcano, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1980
Growing Out From the Wheel, The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2006
Kukui ʻĀ Mau I Ke Ao Mālamalama (A Torch That Continues to Burn During the Day), Keoneʻae Skyline station, East Kapolei, Hawaii, 2021

Source: Wikipedia