A Lifetime of Landscapes and Abstraction - Experience the Extraordinary World of Takao Tanabe at 100
Takao Tanabe, Inside Passage 1/04: Malacca Passage, 2004, acrylic on canvas, 132.1 x 304.8 cm. Collection of Polygon Homes Ltd, Vancouver. © Takao Tanabe.
Visit the Exhibition
June 13 – October 19, 2026
Book tickets in advance to ensure your visit to this Special Exhibition.
Please check our special hours and holiday schedule before your visit for updates on early closures.
Overview
Celebrating Takao Tanabe’s extraordinary contributions to Canadian art, this retrospective marks his 100th birthday on September 16, 2026, and features over fifty paintings spanning more than six decades. It offers a comprehensive look at his evolving visual language and the remarkable breadth of Tanabe’s artistic practice.
Alongside iconic coastal and prairie landscapes, Takao Tanabe 100: Inside Passage showcases lesser-known bodies of work, including the Emperor series, hard-edge paintings, and intimate river scenes, providing a more comprehensive appreciation of Tanabe’s creative range. Each canvas, whether modernist abstraction or tranquil coastal sky, demonstrates his lifelong pursuit of visual and emotional resonance in shape and nature.
Takao Tanabe 100: Inside Passage is curated by Kiriko Watanabe, Gail & Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chief Curator, Audain Art Museum; Jonathan Shaughnessy, Director, Curatorial Initiatives, Interim Senior Curator Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Canada; and Steven McNeil, former Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.
Media Gallery
Takao Tanabe, Storm, 2014, acrylic on canvas, 121.92 x 304.8 cm. Audain Art Museum Collection. Gift of Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa. © Takao Tanabe.
Takao Tanabe, Strait of Georgia 1/90: Raza Pass, 1990, acrylic on canvas, 142.2 x 186 cm. Audain Art Museum Collection. Gift of Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa. © Takao Tanabe.
Takao Tanabe, Interior Arrangement with Red Hills, 1957, oil on canvas, 68 × 126.5 cm. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Gift of the artist, Parksville, British Columbia, 2000. © Takao Tanabe. Photo: NGC
Takao Tanabe, Queen Charlotte Summer 2/83, Reflections, Skidegate Channel, 1983, acrylic on canvas, 66 x 152.4 cm. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Gift of Anona Thorne, Parksville, British Columbia, 2024.
Takao Tanabe, Errington Sunset, 2011, 2010-2011, acrylic on canvas, 122 x 305 cm. Collection of the Artist.© Takao Tanabe.
The Language of Landscape
Presented in Inside Passage is Tanabe’s extraordinary ability to capture a visual expression of emotion through abstraction, as well as the essence of picturesque places. From tranquil rivers and mountains to dramatic coastal vistas, his work evokes both stillness and grandeur, offering a poetic reflection on nature and a lasting testament to his artistic legacy.
Takao Tanabe, Nude Landscape I, 1959, oil on canvas, 101.5 × 84.5 cm. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. © Takao Tanabe. Photo: NGC
A Lasting Legacy
Tanabe’s influence extends beyond his technical mastery, merging Eastern and Western traditions with the modernist movements of postwar Canada. His contributions have been recognized with numerous honours, including the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, the Order of Canada, and the Audain Prize for the Visual Arts. This exhibition invites visitors to celebrate Takao Tanabe’s centennial, reflect on his enduring legacy, and experience the quiet power and poetic refinement that define his remarkable body of work.
Meet The Artist
Born in 1926 in Seal Cove, Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Tanabe is a second-generation Japanese Canadian whose work has profoundly shaped the landscape of Canadian art.
Exhibition Sponsors
Takao Tanabe 100: Inside Passage is made possible through the generous support of our partners and sponsors.
Co-organized by the Audain Art Museum, the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Major Supporters
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Supporting Sponsor
Government Partner
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Generously Supported By
Hopes & Dreams Foundation
Catalogue Partners
The Audain Art Museum gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Resort Municipality of Whistler.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler is grateful to be on the shared, unceded territory of the Lil’wat People, known in their language as Lil’wat7úl, and the Squamish People, known in their language as Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and respects and commits to a deep consideration of their history, culture, stewardship and voice.
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