Hideo Date: Line, Color, and the Quest of a Japanese American Artist

Hideo Date (Hid-dáy-oh Dáh-tay) is a painter ripe for rediscovery. An issei, he once described himself as an artist who "scorned the strictly traditional" in favor of a unique style, one characterized by an interest in sinuous line and bold color. Trained in Tokyo and Los Angeles, Date associated with avant-garde art circles in pre–World War II Los Angeles. He was a member of the influential West Coast Art Students League and a founding member of the Los Angeles Oriental Artists Group with artist friends Benji Okubo and Tyrus Wong. Together, these artists associated with the influential American painter Stanton MacDonald-Wright, who, in turn, looked to the art of Asia for inspiration. During the 1930s Date worked for the Federal Art Project of the Works Project Administration (WPA), which commissioned him to paint a mural on Terminal Island in Southern California. The mural was never finished, due to the outbreak of war. Like many other Issei and Nisei artists, Date’s incarceration during the war had an irreparable impact on his life and artistic career. While he continued to paint in camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming, his career was derailed, and he never had another exhibition after the war. Later, Date resettled in New York City, where he still resides.

This book, which pays tribute to the artist’s courage, sense of fun, and pursuit of beauty will, at last, give this accomplished and daring artist his due. It accompanies a special exhibition of Hideo Date’s works at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles from October 6, 2001 to April 21, 2002.

Karin Higa is director of curatorial and exhibitions at the Japanese American National Museum, where she oversees the development of exhibitions and the permanent collection of the museum. She is the recipient of the Eileen and Peter Norton Curator’s Grant, 2000, and was a fellow of the National Civil Liberties Public Education Fund, 1997. Ms. Higa has taught at Mills College, UC Irvine, and Otis Institute of Art and Design and has lectured on Asian American art at institutions across the country.