Itō Tadashi

Exhibitions
biography

Itō Tadashi uses a rare type of gray clay, which is found at his kiln site in Iwate Prefecture. Before firing the clay, he covers it with a white clay that he scrapes off after firing. His saidei (colored-clay) works have the apearance of antique metal; this is achieved by repeated fiirings. Itō admires the work of Richard Lang, a British contemporary artist, and also draws inspiration from Jōmon ware.

1952 Born in Kamaishi city, Iwate Prefecture
1979 Trained at Tsukamoto Ceramics Center in Mashiko, Tochigi prefecture
1985 Built own kiln in Tôno city, Iwate prefecture
1991 Won a prize in the Traditional Crafts New Works Exhibition
1994 Built a kiln in Tôwa-cho, Iwate prefecture
Public Collections:

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
Itō Tadashi 伊藤正
bio pt 1

Born 1952, Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan

ITŌ TADASHI uses a rare type of gray clay, which is found at his kiln site in Iwate Prefecture. Before firing the clay, he covers it with white kaolin clay that he scrapes off with a wire brush after firing. His saidei (colored-clay) works have the appearance of antique metal; this is achieved by repeated firings. Itō admires the work of Richard Lang, a British contemporary artist, and also draws inspiration from Jōmon ware. As a child, he combed beaches collecting shells that remain a profound influence in his work, as he sees them as the quintessence of beauty. Later on, studies in geology also impacted his eventual style. Ito’s sculptural works are characterized as simultaneously both simple yet sophisticated. His rough gray or red unglazed surfaces contrast with his shiny jade-green ash-glazed interiors.
biography_pdf
Public collections

Selected Public Collections:

Art Museum of West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Iwate Museum of Art, Japan
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA
Musée Tomo, Tokyo, Japan
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA