Yasuo Mizui

Yasuo Mizui
Born(1925-05-03)3 May 1925
Kyoto, Japan
Died3 September 2008(2008-09-03) (aged 83)
Apt, France
Education
Known forStone sculpture Metagraphie
Notable workWalls of Fossiles Japan
Macrocosme and Microcosme France
Key of Love Germany
Echo of laugh US etc.
Awards
WebsiteOfficial website

Yasuo Mizui (水井 康雄, Mizui Yasuo; 30 May 1925 – 3 September 2008) was a Japanese stone sculptor who lived in France. He specialized in abstract art forms for public sculpture, often within architectural contexts, and participated in several sculpture symposia across Europe, the United States, Israel, and Japan.

Biography

Yasuo Mizui was born in Kyoto, Japan, on 30 May 1925. He attended the Kyoto Daiichi Industrial High School, graduating in 1944. He enrolled at Kobe University and majored in mechanical engineering after graduating from high school. During World War II, he worked as a technician at a company in Hyogo, Japan, where he learned casting. After graduating in 1947, he entered the Tokyo University of the Arts, majoring in sculpture. He studied under Kazuo Kikuchi and Hirakushi Denchū. Mizui shifted his focus from mechanical engineering to sculpture because he believed in the transformative power of art—something without borders or conflicts. For his thesis, he chose the topic Art Casting – Casting Daibutsu.

After graduating from the Tokyo University of the Arts in 1953, Yasuo Mizui received a scholarship from the French government to continue his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France, from 1953 to 1958. There, he studied monumental art and sculpture under Alfred Janniot and Marcel Gimond. From 1954 to 1958, he apprenticed under Apel·les Fenosa [es] while pursuing his studies.

During his apprenticeship, Fenosa instructed Mizui to create one clay sculpture each day upon his arrival at the atelier. After several months, Mizui felt despair over his perceived lack of creativity. However, he managed to complete a piece at the last moment, an experience that profoundly shaped his artistic journey. This period of growth prepared him for participation in the International Sculpture Symposium and the creation of large monumental works under France's 1% for Art program. Mizui graduated from École des Beaux-Arts in 1958.

In the 1950s, many Parisian artists chose to establish their workshops in Provence. The New York painter Bernard Pfriem opened an art school to bring American students to the center of Lacoste, France. This school was located in a large house next to the ancient castle of the Marquis de Sade. Mizui maintained a relationship with the school for 20 years, teaching stone sculpture to students every summer and creating a new piece of work with them each year.

1% for art

Many of Yasuo Mizui's works in France were created under the 1% for art program. During the 14 years between 1968 and 1982, Mizui completed 26 sculptures. His first commission from the French Ministry of Culture came in 1968, for which he created Jet d'eau pétrifiée, a stone sculpture measuring 3.2 x 8.0 x 8.0 meters, at the University of Bordeaux's Department of Law. He was chosen to create the piece after his work at the Grenoble Olympic Games.

Another notable piece, Le Mur qui s'ouvre, was completed in 1972. This cement retaining wall, measuring 4.5 × 13 x 1.4 m, is located at Lycée Louis Bascan in Rambouillet. For this work, Mizui employed a unique technique derived from his engineering background, using molds made from expanded polyester material cut with electrical resistance.

Works

Olympic games

Mizui created the sculptural wall Les Murs des Fossiles for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and Microcosme et Macrocosme for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.

Les Murs des Fossiles

Les Murs des Fossiles is a granite relief wall (2 x 93 x 0.3 m) created for the Yoyogi National Gymnasium. In February 1964, Mizui was commissioned to create the artwork. He, along with ten assistants, worked on the project for three months on Kitagi Island [ja] in Okayama, Japan. The completed pieces were delivered to Tokyo in August 1964, and the wall was introduced to the public in September.[citation needed]

The abstract wall spans a total length of 93 m and consists of 408 mikage (a type of granite that is quarried in Japan) stone blocks, each measuring 1.82 x 0.6 x 0.3 m, with a combined weight of 160 tons. These stones, sourced from Kitagi Island, were hand-carved by Mizui using chisels and both large and small hammers.

The concept of Les Murs des Fossiles reflects ten "landscapes" inspired by Mizui's deep connection to life and nature, resembling fossilized memories: Travel, Flame, Weight, Perfume, Obsession, Water, Wisdom, Sound, Time, and Light.

Macrocosme et Microcosme

Macrocosme et Microcosme
Macrocosme et Microcosme at the Olympic village in Grenoble, France

Macrocosme et Microcosme is a stone relief measuring 13 x 81 x 0.4 m, created for the Olympic Village in Grenoble. The work consists of two 40-meter-long walls, representing the dual concepts of macrocosm and microcosm.

The macrocosm symbolizes the vastness and vitality of nature transcending individual existence, while the microcosm reflects the inner conflicts and struggles of human beings. Together, these walls explore the relationship between the natural world and human existence.

Tadao Takemoto, translator of André Malraux's Anti-Retrospective (Shincho Sha, Japan, 1977), often mentioned Mizui in his writings. During the creation of the artwork, André Malraux, who served as the French Minister of Cultural Affairs under Charles de Gaulle and was known for his profound appreciation of art, visited the Olympic Village. Upon seeing Mizui's work, Malraux praised it, exclaiming, "Excellent!"

Diagonal Yin Yang

At the age of 70, Mizui conceptualized Diagonal Yin and Yang as a division between Japan and France—two paths, two incomplete cultures. He contemplated the duality between these extremes in his sculptural work, where he felt caught between the hammer and the anvil. He saw these two opposing yet coexisting forces influencing his art, identifying Japan as yin and France as yang. This interplay of contrasts reflected the dynamic relationship between the two cultures.[citation needed]

Mizui described this dialogue as a continuous interaction between yin and yang, where opposition, answers, and mutual embrace emerge through his sculptural expression. For him, elements like rivers, houses, or feminine forms embodied yin, while flowers, trees, animals, and masculine forms symbolized yang. He constantly questioned the balance of these forces in his work, stating, "The response looks like a masked play between truth and falsehood."

Diagonal Yin Yang is a series of 40 stone sculptures created in Japan for an exhibition at Gallery Tatuno Hiranomachi in Osaka in 1965. Following the exhibition, all the sculptures were transferred to France and displayed in the garden of Mizui's residence in Lacoste. In 2013, two of the statues were gifted as part of an exhibition held in Luxeuil-les-Bains.

Le mur de l'espoir

Chromium cenotaph for James Dean in Cholame, California

In 1981, Mizui created a chromium cenotaph for James Dean, commissioned by Seita Onishi, near the location of James Dean's fatal car accident. In 1985, Mizui set out to create the James Dean Center in Cholame, California, with Onishi. Mizui worked on the James Dean Center project for three years, creating sketches and sculptures, as well as visiting the United States. However, due to a conflict of opinion with the owner of the proposed site, the project could not be completed.

Despite this, the Le mur de l'espoir (limestone, 13 x 4.5 x 1.2 m), which was intended to be on display at the James Dean Center, was dedicated to the memory of James Dean. This sculpture took Mizui three years to complete and consists of 150 tons of stone extracted from the quarry in Lacoste, the village where Mizui lived. On one side of the Le mur de l'espoir, Mizui sculpted the face of James Dean. The Le mur de l'espoir was inaugurated in 2006, 51 years after James Dean's death. Although not in California, it now welcomes visitors to the garden of Mizui's residence in Lacoste, serving as an open-air museum.

Métagraphie

The technique, known as métagraphie, is obtained through a non-reproducible process. The artist applies watercolor to waterproof paper, then allows the materials to interact and evolve naturally. Mizui's response to this process is to find the right balance between the fluidity of the watercolor and the exposure time. While similar techniques such as pressed oil, starch-pressed, and decal exist, Mizui's approach and choice of materials are distinct.

In 1984, international fine arts critic Sakae Hasegawa commented:

When I saw this painting for the first time, I thought it was a picture of a snowy mountain. But upon closer inspection, I realized it was not a picture at all. This image resonated deeply within me, evoking a cold silence. I find that this painting conveys a philosophical and meditative openness, as if the artist has allowed the silence of the heart to emerge.

Four completed forms

Oscillation

The Oscillo-Relief cut is a shape created through the vertical oscillatory motion and horizontal oscillation of an electrical resistance. This free form does not result from a prior plan, but the technique requires precise control. Oscillo-Relief is an invention of Mizui, which he first applied to his sculptures in 1972.

In 1981, Mizui was invited to participate in the 2nd Henry Moore Grand Prize Exhibition at the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, where he created Oscillo-Complex, stone, 3 x 1.3 x 1.2 m, and received a Special Prize at the exhibition.

This set also includes:

  • Oscillo-tower, stone, 2.0 x 0.6 x 0.6 m (July 1972)
  • Oscillo-Cascade I, stone, 2.0 x 6.0 x 1.0 m (November 1975) located at SCAD Lacoste
  • Oscillo-arch, stone, 1.5 x 4.0 x 0.4 m (July 1976) located at SCAD Lacoste
  • Oscillo-escalier, stone, 2.0 x 6.0 x 2.3 m (May 1977) located at Villeneuve d'Ascq
  • Oscillo-element, stone, 2.0 x 1.0 x 1.0 m (July 1977) located at SCAD Lacoste
  • Oscillo-Cascade II, stone, 3.0 x 12.0 x 3.5 m (October 1977) located at University of Nancy
  • Oscillo-Crêtes, stone, 2.4 x 7.5 x 1.8 m (May 1981) located at École du Service de Santé des Armés de Bron, Lyon
  • Oscillo-complex II, marble, 2.0 x 0.8 x 0.7 m (April 1986) located at Sapporo Sculpture Park, Hokkaido

The Wall Sculpture (1964)

Cosmos, stone, 15 x 18 x 0.06 m, 1970 located at Lycée Louis Armand in Villefranche-sur-Saône, consists of 360 flagstones from Comblanchien, each 6 cm thick, firmly fixed to the wall. Mizui stated, "I wanted to create a shadow, graphics, and light evoking heaven, earth, and man." This sculpture recalls to Les Murs des Fossiles and Macrocosme et Microcosme.

Hommage à Néguev (1960–1971)

Hommage à Néguev, marble, 3.7 x 1.7 x 0.6 m, (1962) located at Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, was created during a symposium in Israel. Reflecting on this experience, the artist expressed:

It was a real brainwashing experience for two months in the Negev Desert. I felt my sculpture as a drop in the sea, immersed in the immensity of nature. This was the first time I could hold a chisel with sincere humility. When I made an elliptical hole in the top part, I felt that sunlight was rising towards me.

ZIG and ZAG

ZIG and ZAG was created after Mizui first worked with blocks of polystyrene, cutting them to visualize the final shape of the sculpture. He directed dozens of works using this technique.

The set includes:

  • Zig et Zag I, stone, 2 x 0.4 x 0.4 m (July 1973), located at Savannah College of Art and Design
  • Zig et Zag IV, stone, 0.8 x 0.25 x 0.25 m (December 1974)
  • Zig et Zag 2 pieces, stone, 1.0 x 0.6 x 0.6 m (July 1975)
  • Zig Zag, stone, 2.0 x 0.4 x 0.4 m (September 1996)


Selected symposia and exhibitions

Mizui participated in many symposia throughout his life. The sculpture symposium provided Yasuo Mizui with a new direction, allowing him to develop and promote a sense of sculptural monumentality within urban aesthetics. It also fostered competition among artists, challenging him to demonstrate his ability to work with the same material. Mizui first discovered the allure of working with large stone blocks, some as tall as 4 m, at a symposium in Austria in 1960. In 1962, he created Clef d'amour, a stone sculpture measuring 4 x 0.9 x 0.6 m, near the Berlin Wall in Germany. The symposium had a symbolic slogan: "The wall to the east, creating a sculpture to the west." This event was awarded the German Critics' Prize. Reflecting on the experience, Mizui stated, “There is a wall between east and west. That wall creates a sad story every day. Our silent anger fueled this meeting.” The location of the sculpture was later moved, and it is now displayed at Berlin Square in Germany.

Post-humous exhibitions

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 Bénézit, Emmanuel (1999). Dictionnaire Bénézit. Paris: Oxford University Press. p. 685. ISBN 2-7000-3040-0.
  2. ↑ "Villeneuve-d'Ascq met à l'honneur le sculpteur japonais Yasuo Mizui". La Voix du Nord (in French). 5 April 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "An Unofficial History of the Lacoste School of the Arts". Souvenirs de Lacoste. Worldpress.com. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Shuzo, Yasui (17 January 1974). "With large sculpture, ask Yasuo Mizui" (in Japanese). No. Evening post. Tokyo, Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd.
  5. ↑ "Œuvres du "1% artistique"". Art&Fac 2010 (in French). Association C'Dynamique. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Histoire et patrimoine". Pessac (in French). Universite de Bordeaux. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "Memorandum of 1% for art in France". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese) (Evening post). Tokyo, Japan: Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd. 18 November 1983.
  8. ↑ Yoyogi National Gymnasium. "Art works at Yoyogi National Gymnasium" (PDF). Artworks at Yoyogi National Gymnasium. Japan Sport Council. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "Art works" (PDF). Yoyogi National Gymnasium (in Japanese). Japan Sport Council. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Relief concept for Olympic Gymnagium". Geisei Journal (Church of Perfect Liberty). 30 March 1964.
  11. ↑ "Microcosme et Macrocosme" (PDF). Musée de la ville de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (in French). Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines: Hôtel d'agglomération de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  12. ↑ Ville de Grenoble, ed. (18 May 2025). "Macrocosme Microcosme Yasuo Mizui" (in French). Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  13. ↑ "Repainting old city". Asahi Shimbun. The Asahi Shimbun Company. 8 October 1967.
  14. ↑ "1% for art in France – Giving urban city for soul and artists for creative activities". Asahi Journal (The Asahi Shimbun company). 1 February 1977.
  15. ↑ Mizui, Yasuo (1995). Catalogue Diagonal Yin Yang (in Japanese and French). Tokyo, Japan: Yasuo Mizui.
  16. ↑ "Exposition Rétrospective Mizui" (PDF). musees-franchecomte.com (in French). Tourist office of Luxeuil-les-bains. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  17. ↑ "Obsessed by James Dean, Japan's Seita Onishi Makes a Monument to That Fallen Rebel His Cause". People. Time Inc. 7 August 1989. p. 6. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  18. ↑ Wilkinson, Stuart (5 May 2013). "Remembering James Dean in Lacoste, France". Stuart Wilkinson. WordPress.com. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  19. ↑ Coghe, Jean-Noël (2007). Jimmy the Kid : James Dean secret: on a tous quelque chose de James Dean-- (in French). [Paris]: Hugo doc. p. 364. ISBN 978-2-7556-0176-3.
  20. ↑ "Exposition Retrospective Mizui" (PDF). Musees-franchecomte (in French). Association L'art dans la Rue. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  21. ↑ "The 2nd Henry Moore Grand Prize Exhibition The Hakone Open-Air Museum" (Exhibition catalogue) (in English and Japanese). Hakone: The Hakone Open-Air Museum. 1981.
  22. ↑ "" Cime 2 ", Yasuo MIZUI, 1976". Villeneuve d'Ascq (in French). Hôtel de ville. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  23. ↑ "Itineraires D'architecture". Itineraires D'architecture (in French). URCAUE Lorraine -Ealys. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  24. ↑ "Oscillo-complex II" (in Japanese). Sappro Art Park. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  25. ↑ "Culture; Délégation aux arts plastiques; Sous-direction de la décentralisation et du soutien à la création; Bureau commande publique, 1%". Archives Nationales (France) (in French). Pierrefitte-sur-Seine. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  26. ↑ "Desert sculpture info". Desert Sculptures Info. Mitzpe Ramon Desert Sculpture Park. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  27. ↑ Matsumura, Kazuo (2 December 1985). "Great Nature Paean" (in Japanese). No. Evening Post. Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd.
  28. ↑ "Asset De Witte Vlam". City Antwerpen (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 September 2017.
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  30. ↑ "Mizui Yasuo". Welt Der Form (in German). Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  31. ↑ "skulpturenfeld oggelshausen" (PDF). City oggelshausen (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  32. ↑ "'Public art for everybody". Palm springs international airport. Palm Springs City Government California USA. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  33. ↑ Pas, Johan (2010). The Middleheim Collection. Antwerp: S.I. Ludion. pp. 91–92. ISBN 978-90-5544-961-3.
  34. ↑ Yasuo Mizui «La fête de la Carrière», articles over "Geijyutsushinncho", édition Shinchōsha Japan, p. 80-82
  35. ↑ "Artists who took part in the St. Margarethen Symposia". Symposium of European Sculptors. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  36. ↑ Symposion Europäischer Bildhauer Berlin 1961–62 (in German). Berlin: C. Bertelsmann Verslag, Gütersloh. 1963.
  37. ↑ "Hommage a la Grande Nature du Neguev". Israel Public Art. Richard Margolis. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  38. ↑ Yasuo, Kamon (24 June 1963). "Expectation for Sculpture Symposium" (in Japanese). No. Morning Post. Tokyo, Japan: Asahi Shimbun Company.
  39. ↑ Tatranská galéria v Poprade. "MSS Vyšné Ružbachy". Tatranska Galeria (in Slovak). Tatranská galéria v Poprade. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  40. ↑ Calandry, Elisabeth (8 September 2008). "Disparition du sculpteur Yasuo Mizui". village olympique grenoble (in French). Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  41. ↑ "International Sculptors Symposium" (PDF). North Carolina Architect. The North Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects. October 1968. pp. 17–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  42. ↑ "Kyoto exposition". 47 News (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  43. ↑ "Retrospective exhibition Yasuo Mizui" (PDF) (in French). musees franchecomte. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  44. ↑ "Art Lacoste 2014" (in French). foyers Ruraux. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  45. ↑ "Exposition Mizui" (in French). Villeneuve d'Ascq City. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  46. ↑ "Exposition "Yasuo Mizui, sculpteur de l'âme"". Wattrelos City Government. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  1. 1 2 Mizui 2003, p. 126.
  2. ↑ Mizui 2003, p. 34.
  3. ↑ Mizui 2003, p. 82.
  4. ↑ Mizui 2003.
  5. ↑ Mizui 2003, p. 29.
  6. ↑ Mizui 2003, pp. 116–123.