Mo (Seaweed)

1977

born 1910, Seattle, Washington; died 1997 Seattle

Tsutakawa’s freestanding sculptures and celebrated fountains are based on the obos, the ritual piles of stone erected by trekkers in the Himalayas to express gratitude for safe passage. Inspired by the shifts in scale between these human-sized constructions and the vast mountains, he developed a sculptural practice of stacking forms in perfect balance and subtle harmony with the Pacific Northwest landscape. Initially using local hardwoods, Tsutakawa eventually turned to cutting and welding sheet metal. Indeed, works such as this one, though abstract, are ultimately reflections on nature—in this case, the vertical, undulating kelp forests that tower beneath the surface of the waterways in and around Seattle.

Bronze

51 x 15 in. (129.5 x 38.1cm)

Base: 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 x 15 in. (24.1 x 24.1 x 38.1cm)

Gift of the Marshall and Helen Hatch Collection, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

2009.52.82

Photo: Scott Leen

Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistoryWalla Walla, Washington, Olin Gallery, George Tsutakawa and Morris Graves, Nov. 5 - Nov. 26, 1978.

Seattle, Washington, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, An American Tradition: Abstraction, Dec. 3, 1982 - Jan. 17, 1983.

Osaka, Japan, National Museum of Art, Pacific Northwest Artists and Japan, Oct. 2 - Nov. 28, 1982.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, SAM at 75: Building a Collection for Seattle, May 5 - Sept. 9, 2007.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Northwest Modernism: Four Japanese Americans, Mar. 20, 2021 - June 5, 2022.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, American Art: The Stories We Carry, Oct. 20, 2022 - ongoing.

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