Matsumi Kanemitsu papers, circa 1947-1998

Object Details

Place of publication, production, or execution: United States
Physical Description: 3.4 Linear feet
Arrangement: The collection is arranged as six series. Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1947-1992 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 1) Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1947-1992 (1.3 Linear feet: Box 1-2) Series 3: Professional Files, circa 1961-1990 (0.3 Linear feet: Box 2) Series 4: Personal Business , circa 1959-1991 (0.4 Linear feet: Box 3) Series 5: Printed Material, 1961-1998 (0.8 Linear feet: Box 3, OVs 4-7) Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1960-1992 (0.2 Linear feet: Box 3)
Access Note / Rights: This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Summary: The papers of Matsumi Kanemitsu measure 3.4 linear feet and date from 1947-1998. The papers document Kanemitsu's career through biographical material; correspondence with friends, family, artists, universities, and galleries; professional files such as teaching files and work on juried shows; personal and business financial records; printed materials, and photographs.
Citation: Matsumi Kanemitsu papers, circa 1947-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms: The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2024 and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Funding: The processing and digitization of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee. Additional funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, and the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
Use Note: The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Biography Note: Matsumi Kanemitsu (1922-1992), also known as Mike Kanemistu, was a Japanese American painter based in both New York City, New York and Los Angeles, California. Although born in Utah, Kanemitsu lived in Japan until he was eighteen. In 1940 he returned to the United States, joining the Army in 1941. But after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was detained in several U.S. army camps due to his Japanese ancestry even as he actively served in the military. During this time, he began to draw with pen and ink and pastels. Eventually, he was released and volunteered for overseas duty as a hospital assistant in Europe. His Army tour ended in 1946.; After the war, he studied with Fernand Leger in Paris; with Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Harry Sternberg, and others at the Art Student's League in New York; and with sculptor Karl Metzler in Baltimore. A highly recognized second generation Abstract Expressionist in New York, Kanemitsu came to live permanently in Los Angeles after recieving a Ford Foundation Fellowship in 1961 to work at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop, where he created a series of prints that translated sumi painting techniques into lithography.; He exhibited widely throughout the United States, as well as Japan, and his work is owned by a number of public institutions in the United States and Japan. In addition to his practice, Kanemitsu also held professorial positions at a number of universities and art institutions including the University of California, Berkely; the Chouinard Art Institute; and the Otis Art Institute.
Language Note: The collection is in English and Japanese.
Provenance: The Matsumi Kanemitsu papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 1994 and 1998 by Nancy Uyemura, Kanemitsu's former student, friend, and executor.
Digitization Note: This site provides access to the papers of Matsumi Kanemitsu in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2024, and total 4,377 images.
Location Note: Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Data Source: Archives of American Art

Record number: (DSI-AAA_CollID)6482; (DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215669; AAA_collcode_kanemats

Creator: Kanemitsu, Matsumi

Theme: Asian American; Lives of artists

Topic: Abstract expressionism; Asian American artists; Japanese American artists; Asian American painters; Japanese Americans -- Forced removal and internment -- 1942-1945
Theme: Asian American; Lives of artists

Record ID: AAADCD_coll_215669

Usage: Usage conditions apply