Clifton Karhu (1927 - 2007)
Clifton Karhu was born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1927. From 1946 to 1948, he lived on an American navy base, in Sasebo, Japan. From 1950 to 1952, Clifton studied at the Minneapolis Art School honing his interests in art. By 1952, Clifton Karhu returned to Japan as a missionary of the Lutheran Church and was selling Bibles. While on this great venture as a missionary, he decided to become an artist by producing watercolors, oil paintings, and Sumi-e works. He would exhibit at local galleries and by doing so, gained an important reputation within the community. In 1961, he won first prize at the Chubu Taiheijo Bijutsu Kyokai Ten (The Middle Pacific Art Group Exhibition). He presented his first exhibition in Gifu prefecture where he resided for some time. By 1963, Mr. Karhu moved to Kyoto, and became highly interested in the woodblock print process. In Kyoto, he would have one of his most successful woodblock print exhibitions, which garnered his name as one of the top artists in Japan.
Since then, Clifton has exhibited his prints widely throughout the world, and today has become one of the most successful contemporary woodblock print artists. His prints often depict typical old Japanese houses, temples, rooftops, shops, and old town settings of Kyoto using bold lines, patterns, and strong colors.
Collection Exhibitions include: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Cincinnati Art Museum, Minnesota Museum of Art, Kunst Museum, Salzburg, Fogg Museum, National Gallery of Australia, American Chamber of Commerce, Harvard University, Japan Culture Institute. |
