- Source: 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.
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. He was inspired by the frescoes and mosaics he saw in Florence and Ravenna. 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. Akaji was a member of the Metcalf Chateau, a group of seven Asian-American artists with ties to Honolulu. In 1959 he created his first commission, which displayed at the Ala Moana Center.
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.
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. 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