Yukie Osumi (born 1945; Japanese: 大角幸枝, romanized: Ōsumi Yukie)[1] is a Japanese metalsmith. In 2015, she became the first woman in her field to be named a Living National Treasure of Japan.
Biography
editYukie Osumi was born in Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 1945.[2][3][4] She studied art history at Tokyo University of the Arts, graduating in 1969.[3][4]
When Osumi began metalworking, very few Japanese women were involved in the field.[3] However, she gained the support of mentors such as the well-known metalsmiths Shiro Sekiya and Moriyuki Katsura, the latter of whom granted her her first apprenticeship.[3] After many years of pursuing her craft while working various side jobs to make ends meet, she was finally able to establish herself as a full-time artist and art professor at age 41.[3]
Osumi is known for her hand-shaped metal vessels, which she hammers into shape from a flat plate before applying intricate decorations.[2][3][4] She is a master of the nunome zōgan metal inlay technique.[2][3] Each of her pieces takes between three and six months to complete.[3] Her designs are often drawn from natural motifs, influenced in part by her childhood in the countryside of Shizuoka.[3][4][5]
Her pieces have been exhibited both in Japan and abroad, including in the United States and Italy.[1] In addition to her work as a craftsperson, Osumi has taught at Tokyo Kasei University, where she is now a professor emeritus.[3]
For her work, Osumi won the Japan Kōgei Association's President's Award in 1987.[3][4] In 2014, she was awarded a residency in Japanese metalwork design at the Smithsonian's Freer-Sackler Gallery, the first artist to do so.[2][6]
In 2015, she was named a Living National Treasure of Japan, as part of a program that supports and honors craftspeople who work using traditional techniques.[2][3][5][7][8] She was the first female metalsmith to receive this designation.[2][3][5][8] Two years later, she was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.[3]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "OSUMI, Yukie （作家）". National Crafts Museum. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
- ^ a b c d e f "Osumi Yukie: Wind and Waves". Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Sugihara, Yuka (2024-10-16). "Ōsumi Yukie: The Brilliance of Metalworking". Nippon.com. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
- ^ a b c d e うつわをみる: 暮らしに息づく工芸. 東京国立近代美術館. 2000.
- ^ a b c Cook, Nancy (2020-05-18). "Beyond the Gallery: Yukie Osumi". Metal Museum. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
- ^ "Osumi Yukie - Overview". Onishi Gallery. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
- ^ "What is a Japanese Living National Treasure?". Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
- ^ a b Schwendener, Martha (2021-11-11). "Salon Fair, Still Focused on Decor, Now Back at the Armory". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-11-11.