Sherri Sinobu Kajiwara, Steven McNeil, Jonathan Shaughnessy, Kiriko Watanabe 

Takao Tanabe celebrates the remarkable 70-year career of Takao Tanabe. Beginning with his training as an artist in Winnipeg and his subsequent development as a Modernist in New York, this career-spanning book takes readers through his period as an abstract artist on the Canadian Prairies in the 1970s and his eventual embrace of landscape painting upon his return to the West Coast in the early 1980s. This last turn is exemplified by his famous series of “Inside Passage” paintings: light-bathed depictions of the Georgia Straight that evoke its changing landscape and weather.

Takao Tanabe showcases the artist’s innovation and evolution over the course of his prolific career. This gorgeous volume invites readers to engage with fresh perspectives on Tanabe’s legacy, to reflect on his enduring impact on the development of Canadian art, and to celebrate his remarkable centenary.

Takao Tanabe, born in 1926 in Seal Cove, part of Prince Rupert in British Columbia, is a second-generation Japanese Canadian artist who has built a distinguished career as one of Canada’s most prolific and influential painters. Renowned for his abstract and representational landscapes, Tanabe’s work distills the essence of place through a masterful command of form and colour, combined with his keen observational eye and impeccable brush strokes. He transforms familiar Canadian terrains and coastal sceneries into extraordinary, luminous compositions that convey both serenity and energy.

Tanabe’s influence extends far beyond his technical skill, leaving a permanent mark on the development of Canadian art. His practice reflects a unique fusion of artistic sensibilities, merging Western and Eastern art traditions with the modernist movements of postwar Canada. His contributions to the artistic movement in Canada have earned him numerous honours, including the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts and the Order of Canada. Tanabe’s enduring legacy speaks to his ability to transcend the visual landscape and inspire his art viewers. 

Hardcover | 280 pages 
28.5 x 26 x 3 cm (11.2 x 10.2 x 1.2 in.) 
Publication Date: 2026

Takao Tanabe has been represented by Mira Godard Gallery for over 55 years, and this catalogue was published to coincide with their exhibition TAKAO TANABE 100th Birthday Exhibition (May 2 - June 27, 2026). 

Softcover | 88 pages 
22.9 x 26.7 cm (9 x 10.5 in.) 
Publication date: 2026

Ian Thom

Born in 1926 in the fishing community of Seal Cove, British Columbia, in 1937 Takao Tanabe moved with his parents and six siblings to Vancouver. His life was uprooted in 1942, when he and his family, among the 22,000 Japanese Canadians dispossessed and displaced by the government during the Second World War, were sent to an internment camp in the interior of B.C. Despite this challenging early life, Tanabe went on to forge a career that has changed the way we see and understand this country and its landscapes.

In Takao Tanabe: Life & Work, author Ian Thom explores the artist's extraordinary story and legacy, illuminating his many magisterial works and unique vision that began in 1944, when, after moving to Winnipeg, Tanabe found work as a sign painter. He soon discovered a world of artistic opportunities outside of commercial work and began to flourish as a student at the Winnipeg School of Art, his singular approach continuing to evolve over time and with travel. Stints in New York, London, and Europe during the early 1950s piqued his interest in abstract experimentation, while a 1959 trip to Japan introduced him to traditional calligraphy and sumi-e (Japanese ink painting).

In the early 1970s Tanabe began his Prairie paintings, a series that would cement his reputation, distilling vast expanses of land into evocative images that blurred the lines between representation and abstraction. A move back to B.C. in the 1980s led him to reconceive the coastal landscapes of his childhood. In addition to his own widely celebrated creative accomplishments, Tanabe has played an integral role in supporting new generations of artists as a teacher, philanthropist, and advocate. His contributions to the arts in Canada are unparalleled. 

Hardcover | 128 pages 
20.3 x 27.9 cm (8 x 11 in.) 
Publication date: 2024