Henry Sugimoto Collection
(92.97, 2015.2, 2015.7) Artist Henry Sugimoto (1900–1990) was prolific in documenting his experiences as a Japanese immigrant in the United States and depicting scenes of places in California, Arkansas, New York, Mexico, France, and Japan from the 1920s until the 1980s through his artwork. The collection chronicles Sugimoto’s entire career from his travels throughout France and the United States, to his incarceration in the Jerome and Rohwer concentration camps, to his retirement in New York. The eponymous collection at JANM includes oil and watercolor paintings, woodblock and linocut prints, and ephemera and is the Museum’s largest art collection.
Artwork depicting life at the Fresno temporary detention center and the Jerome and Rohwer concentration camps during World War II is arguably the most poignant of Sugimoto’s body of work. His testimony and artworks were key to the Japanese American movement for redress and reparations and were shown at one of the US Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians hearings in 1981. Visitors can now access and engage an expanded selection of his works that encompass the breadth and scope of Henry Sugimoto’s prolific sixty-year career.
Slideshow
Henry Sugimoto, Self Portrait in Camp, 1943, oil on canvas, 22 x 18 in.
Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto and Naomi Tagawa, 92.97.5
Henry Sugimoto, Fresh air break on the trip from Fresno to Jerome, 1957, oil on canvas, 23.25 x 32.25 in.
Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto and Naomi Tagawa, 92.97.55
Henry Sugimoto, Notre Dame Cathedral, 1931, oil on canvas, 24 x 19.5 in.
Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto and Naomi Tagawa, 92.97.118
Henry Sugimoto, Thoughts of Him, ca. 1965, print, 13 x 10 in.
Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto, 2015.2.64
Henry Sugimoto, Haystack of Voulangis, 1932, oil on canvas, 21 x 26.75 in.
Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto and Naomi Tagawa, 92.97.77
Henry Sugimoto, No Second Service, ca. 1960-1980, oil on canvas, 38.25 x 51.25 in.
Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto and Naomi Tagawa, 92.97.113
Henry Sugimoto, Torii / Torii and Pines, 1957, print, 22.25 x 16.75 in.
Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto, 2015.2.358
Henry Sugimoto, Railroad Work, 1970, oil on canvas, 64 x 51.5 in.
Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto and Naomi Tagawa, 92.97.109
Henry Sugimoto, Mountain Serenity, print, 22.25 x 16.75 in.
Japanese American National Museum, Gift of Madeleine Sugimoto, 2015.2.406
Related to this Collection
Henry Sugimoto’s Artistic Evolution
ONLINE EXHIBITION
From serene scenes of the French countryside to striking depictions which navigate the Issei experience and challenges of incarceration, this 2023 online exhibition vividly displays the impact that World War II had on Sugimoto’s art.
Henry Sugimoto: Painting an American Experience
PAST EXHIBITION
Items in this collection were featured in the exhibition Henry Sugimoto: Painting an American Experience, which was on display at JANM March 24 - October 7, 2001.
2001 EXHIBITION CATALOG
By Kristine Kim. Introduction by Karin Higa. Foreword by Lawrence M. Small.
The companion book for the Henry Sugimoto: Painting an American Experience exhibition is available at the JANM Store.
PRESERVING LEGACY AND ARTISTRY: A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK INTO THE HENRY SUGIMOTO COLLECTION
By Maya Lee
Hear from the curator of the Henry Sugimoto’s Artistic Evolution online exhibition for a behind-the-scenes look at her experiences working with the Henry Sugimoto Collection.
Harsh Canvas
2001
Henry Sugimoto’s translated memoirs, brought to life by Academy Award–nominated actor Mako, reveal the artist’s own journey through his life and art. The documentary features his paintings and sketches, rare archival footage, and film of the artist just before his death.
Produced by the Watase Media Arts Center.
Harsh Canvas: Henry Sugimoto
Harsh Canvas: Henry Sugimoto