Edition 68/75

Provenance
Paul Kuhn Gallery, Calgary
 
Takao Tanabe is among Canada’s most celebrated painters and printmakers, recognized for his landscapes that bridge the gap between abstraction and realism. In his landscapes Tanabe eliminates non-essential details, creating serene compositions which reward long contemplation. A distinguished art teacher and arts advocate, Tanabe was long associated with the Banff School of Fine Arts, Alberta.
 
It was in the early 1950s, that Tanabe had a fortuitous meeting with Walter J. Phillips. Phillips invited Tanabe to his studio and showed him how to make a woodblock print. Tanabe would go on to develop his own distinguished printmaking practice, working primarily with master printmaker Masato Arikushi.
 
Tanabe’s acclaimed West Coast woodblock prints unite his iconic landscapes with the masterful craftsmanship of Japanese block cutter and printer Masato Arikushi. Their celebrated collaboration produced some of the finest woodblock prints in Canadian art. Featured in the 2024 exhibition Takao Tanabe: Printmaker at Surrey Art Gallery, these works highlight the remarkable fusion of artistic vision and traditional Japanese printmaking.