Bumpei Akaji

Bumpei Akaji (1921–2002) was an American sculptor from Hawaii. He was known for welding large copper and brass sculptures which can be seen all over Hawaii as part of Hawaii's Art in Public Places program.

Bumpei Akaji, Cyparissus, copper and brass, 1968, Hawaii State Art Museum

Biography

Akaji was born in Lawai, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai in 1921. In 1943 he joined the United States Army and was sent to Italy with the 100th Battalion of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.^[1] He was inspired by the frescoes and mosaics he saw in Florence and Ravenna.^[2] After discharge from the army, he stayed in Italy to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and at the Academia de Belle Arti, Brera, on a Fulbright Scholarship. In 1950, he returned to Honolulu, and in 1951, was the first to receive a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.^[2] Akaji was a member of the Metcalf Chateau, a group of seven Asian-American artists with ties to Honolulu.^[3] In 1959 he created his first commission, which displayed at the Ala Moana Center.^[4]

Akaji learned welding from a local mechanic and is now best known for his large-scale welded copper and brass sculptures, which are both organic and abstract in nature, as typified by Cyparissus. The welded and/or pounded surfaces of his sculptures are often warm and sensual and over time develop a unique patina.

He died in 2002.^[5]

Works

The Hawaii State Art Museum and the Honolulu Museum of Art are among the public collections holding Akaji's work. Many of his works were commissioned by the state as part of Hawaii's Art in Public Places program, which designates 1% of construction funds in new public buildings to acquiring art.^[6] His sculptures in public places include:

• Untitled sculpture, Leilehua High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
• Na Mana Nu Oli, Bishop Trust Company, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1969
• Koaie, Anuenue Elementary School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1972
• Nani Kaua`i: Ke Mau Nei Ke Ea O Kauaʻi I Puhi Aina Malu (Beautiful Kaua`i: The spirit of Kaua`i thrives in the peaceful land of Puhi), Kauai Community College, Lihue, Hawaii, 1977
• Untitled sculpture, Hana High and Elementary School, Hana, Hawaii, 1977
• Pule Oʻo, Molokai Public Library, Kaunakakai, Hawaii, 1973
• Reflections 1989, Kauai High School, Lihue, Hawaii, 1989
• Makaʻa eʻIke Aku i ke Awawa Uluwehi i na Kuahiwi o Manoa (Glowing Eyes Looking at the Lush Valley in the Mountains of Manoa, 1979) and VVV (1995), University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1995
• Moanalua, Moanalua High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1976
• Pupu Aʻo Ewa, Ewa Beach Community School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1972
• Gushing Waters, Waipahu Elementary School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1978
• Wilia i uka, wilia i kai, Pope Elementary School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1977
• Hana Hihi-u O Na Makani Ika-ika O Hono Kaa, Honakaa School, Honokaa, Hawaii, 1975
• Hoʻolana, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, 1984
• Maui Snares the Sun, Maui Memorial Hospital, Wailuku, Hawaii, 1981
• The Sun God, Wailuku State Office Building, Wailuku, Hawaii, 1970
• The Eternal Flame, Hawaii State Capitol Mall, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1974
• Birds Aloft, Ala Moana Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1966
• Wai Hoʻola a Lono, Koloa Public School & Library, Koloa, Hawaii, 1973
• Brothers in Valor Memorial, Fort DeRussy Military Reservation, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1996
• Untitled copper sculpture, President William McKinley High School, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1963

References

• Hartwell, Patricia L. (editor), Retrospective 1967–1987, Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1987, p. 133

Footnotes

1. Morse, Marcia, Legacy: Facets of Island Modernism, Honolulu, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2001, ISBN 978-0-937426-48-7, p. 15
2. Papanikolas, Theresa and Stephen Salel, Stephen, Abstract Expressionism, Looking East from the Far West, Honolulu Museum of Art, 2017, ISBN 9780937426920, pp. 28–29
3. Matsumoto, Lacy, “Hawaii artist honors late friend with exhibition – Satoru Abe to show his work alongside pieces by Jerry Okimoto at Nu'uanu Gallery”, Honolulu Advertiser, July 28, 2008, D1
4. "Bumpei Akaji, sculptor, 442nd veteran, dead at 81 | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper". the.honoluluadvertiser.com. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
5. Gee, Pat (November 5, 2002). "Kauai native left large imprint on local art scene". archives.starbulletin.com. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
6. "Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts | Purpose & History". sfca.hawaii.gov. Retrieved 2018-06-14.