From DiscoverNikkei.org
Hisako Hibi
Painter (1907-1991)
Born in Fukui, Japan in 1907, Hisako (Shimizu) Hibi produced a large body of paintings throughout her lifetime to express her personal view of her world—before, during, and after World War II. As a young woman, Hibi boldly chose to remain behind in the United States when her parents moved back to Japan. Determined to pursue painting, she attended the San Francisco Art Institute where she met George Matsusaburo Hibi, another artist, who would eventually become her husband. The two became prominent artists in the Bay Area until World War II forever changed their lives. The couple and their two children were incarcerated in the Topaz Concentration Camp in Utah for three years. While there, Hisako Hibi completed at least seventy paintings, capturing the emotional and physical experiences of their incarceration. Her husband, sadly, died in 1947, soon after the family had begun to rebuild their life after their release from Topaz. In 1985, Hibi was selected as Artist of the Year by the San Francisco Arts Council, and although the artist died in 1991, her artwork continues to be exhibited at museums nationwide. Several of Hibi’s oil paintings were featured in the Japanese American National Museum’s first art exhibition—The View from Within: Japanese American Art from the Internment Camps, 1942-1945.
Sources:
- Online Archive of California: Finding Aid, "Hisako Hibi Collection", Japanese American National Museum
- Exhibition: "A Process of Reflection: Paintings by Hisako Hibi" (Los Angeles, Japanese American National Museum, July 27, 1999-January 30, 2000)
- Exhibition: "Peaceful Painter: Hisako Hibi" (Santa Clara, CA, The de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University, September 18-December 3, 2004; January 22-March 11, 2005)
Works
