Okada, Kenzo, b. 1902 d. 1982

Painter
New York, N.Y. (Show Bio)

Oral history interview with Kenzo Okada, 1968 Nov. 22

Transcript: 44 p.

Interview of Kenzo Okada conducted by Forrest Selvig for the Archives of American Art, 1968 Nov. 22.

Okada discusses his background; wanting to be a painter since age 15 and his father being against the idea; attending Tokyo Fine Arts University and studying Western art tradition there; going to Paris in 1924 to study on his own; meeting Alberto Giacometti in Paris; returning to Japan in 1927; interest in Western art; exhibiting in Japan; his painting style; coming to the United States in 1950; and appreciating Japan and Japanese culture. Okada mentions Marie Laurencin, Bradley Tomlin, Clyfford Still, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Betty Parsons, Mark Rothko, Nishita (Japanese philosopher), and Mark Tobey.

Location of Originals: Location of original tape unknown.

This interview is part of the Archives of American Art's Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

How to Use this Interview

• Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
• Transcript available on line at http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/okada68.htm
• A transcript of this interview is available online.
• For more information on using resources at the Archives of American Art, please visit our Ask Us page

Also in the Archives:

• Kenzo Okada exhibition catalogs, 1965-1976