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 forms for public sculpture, often within architectural contexts, and participated in several sculpture symposia across Europe, the United States, Israel, and Japan.[1]
Biography
Yasuo Mizui enrolled at Kobe University in 1944.[2] During World War II, he worked as a technician at a company 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".[3]
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 nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris 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 while pursuing his studies.[2]
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 International Sculpture Symposium and the creation of large monumental works under France's 1% for Art program.[3][4]
Works for Olympic games in Japan and France
He created the sculptural wall Les Murs des Fossiles (Walls of Fossils) for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and Microcosme et Macrocosme for the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France.
Les Murs des Fossiles (Walls of Fossils) is a granite relief wall (2 x 93 x 0.3 m) created by Yasuo Mizui in 1964 for the Yoyogi National Gymnasium,[5] a venue for athletic games located in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo. The gymnasium, designed by Kenzo Tange, was constructed between 1961 and 1964.
In February 1964, Tange commissioned Mizui to create the artwork. Mizui, along with ten assistants, worked on the project for three months on Kitagi Island, known as "Stone Island," in Okayama, Japan. The completed pieces were delivered to Tokyo in August 1964, and the wall was introduced to the public by international media in September.
The abstract wall spans a total length of 93 meters and consists of 408 Mikage stone blocks, each measuring 1.82 x 0.6 x 0.3 meters, 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 Walls of Fossils 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.[6]
Macrocosm and Microcosm is a stone relief measuring 13 x 81 x 0.4 meters, created for the Olympic Village in Grenoble.[7] 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—depicting elements such as the Sun, Forest, Mountain, Sea, and River, transcending individual existence. In contrast, the "Microcosm" reflects the inner conflicts and struggles of human beings. Together, these walls explore the relationship between the natural world and human existence.[8]
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!"[9]
1% for art
In France, the 1951 law mandates that 1% of the state budget be allocated to the decoration of public buildings with artwork. Many of Yasuo Mizui's works in France were created under this 1% for art program. Between 1968 and 1982, Mizui completed 26 sculptures over a span of 14 years.[10]
His first commission from the French Ministry of Culture came in 1968, for which he created Jet d'eau pétrifiée (Petrified Waterjet) at Bordeaux University’s Department of Law.[11] This opportunity arose following his acclaimed work Microcosme et Macrocosme for the Winter Olympics in Grenoble.
Another notable piece, Le Mur qui s'ouvre (Wall That Opens), was completed in 1972. This cement retaining wall, measuring 4.5 x 13 x 1.4 meters, 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.[12]
Symposium
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 them to demonstrate their ability to work with the same material. This movement began in 1959 in St. Margrethen, Germany.
Mizui first participated in a symposium in Austria in 1960, where he discovered the allure of working with large stone blocks, some as tall as 4 meters. In 1962, he created Clef d'amour (Key of Love), a stone sculpture measuring 4 x 0.9 x 0.6 meters, 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.[13]
In 1963, Mizui participated in the International Sculpture Symposium in Manazuru City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Supported financially by the Asahi Shimbun Company, Mizui served as a leader, guiding 11 other sculptors from eight different countries.[14]
Diagonal Yin Yang
Near Lacoste, where Yasuo Mizui lived, lies the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, a mysterious fountain tied to a 14th-century love story. Mizui once reflected: “Why not? Nachi Falls gush somewhere in France as the rain constantly hollows out the rocks of the fountain.” Later, during a visit to Nachi Falls in Japan, he was deeply moved, saying, “My heart and body trembled before the cascade. I was convinced: Nachi Falls had truly pierced the earth, and its spirit rebounded into the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.”
At the age of 70, Mizui realized that the concept of Diagonal Yin and Yang was a division between Japan and France—two paths, two incomplete cultures. He often contemplated the duality between these extremes in his sculptural work, where he felt caught between the hammer (tool) 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.
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 patrons 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.”[15]
Mizui’s friend, Tadao Takemoto, a writer on André Malraux and Nachi Falls, shared that Malraux once said: "Nachi Waterfall is the backbone of the Shintoism." This insight further deepened Mizui’s connection to the dualities of nature and culture in his art.[16]
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.[17]
Wall of Hope
In 1985, during a project with Seita Onishi, a Japanese businessman and philanthropist, Mizui became deeply interested in actor James Dean. Together, they set out to create the James Dean Center, which would be located in Cholame, California, near the site of Dean's fatal car accident.
Earlier, in 1981, Mizui had created and placed a chromium cenotaph for James Dean, commissioned by Onishi, near the location of the accident.[18]
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 Wall of Hope remains—a monumental sculpture (Limestone, 13 x 4.5 x 1.2 m) 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 he lived.
On one side of the Wall of Hope, Mizui sculpted the face of the film icon. As the artist explained, "I said to myself, the three masterpieces of James Dean saved his fans from despair. The desperate walls open and give us the light of hope."[19]
The Wall of Hope 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.[20]
Stone and Asceticism
Mizui once said:
Given the immense nature, I felt very small. The stone, with its rough texture, was already so beautiful. Although I spoke to it, insulted it, and sighed in frustration, it remained unyielding and quietly resistant, despite my pleas and anger. However, after some time, the stone began to communicate with me. It guided me: 'Not like that! Try here! Yes, like this.' If I can one day melt into the divine nothingness, my sculpture will remain as an offering to the great nature.[21]
Jean Rosenberg, a science professor at the University of Poitiers, commented on Mizui's sculptures, saying:
In his non-figurative art, the temporal dimension is absent. There are no messages encoded in symbols or figures. His work is cosmic. One feels the origin of life and evolution; it represents universal entities that have not yet individualized, standing at the very beginning of evolution.[22]
Métagraphie
The technique of compressing color between two sheets of paper or other materials gave rise to unexpected, fantastic images. The artist analyzed the causality of phenomena that might be considered accidental. In other words, it involved introducing the power of will into the creation of such phenomena by developing a technique and practice. This process expresses reflection, change, succession, and the act of transcending, bypassing, or existing between various states.
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.[23]
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.[24]
Four completed forms
1. The Sculpture of the Oscillation / Oscillo-Relief, 1972–1982
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 a fundamental 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, 3m x 1.3m x 1.2m) and received a Special Prize at the exhibition.[25]
2. The Wall Sculpture, 1964 –
Cosmos (stone, 15m x 18m x 0.06m, 1970, Lycée Louis Armand, Villefranche-sur-Saône)[26] consists of 360 flagstones of Comblanchien, each 6 cm thick, firmly fixed to the wall. Mizui himself stated, "I wanted to create a shadow, graphics, and light evoking heaven, earth, and man."[27] The wall sculpture recalls, in formal terms, Les Murs des Fossiles and Macrocosme et Microcosme.
3. The Sculpture "Large Head", 1960–1971
Hommage à Néguev (To Negev) (marble, 3.7m x 1.7m x 0.6m, 1962, Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, Symposium) 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.[28]
4. The Sculpture ZIG and ZAG, 1973–1974
ZIG and ZAG (stone, 2m x 0.4m x 0.4m, 1973,Savannah College of Art and Design, Lacoste) 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. 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.[29] 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.[30]
Selected chronology
1925 Born on 30 May in Kyoto, Japan
1944 Graduated from Kyoto Daiichi Industrial high school in Kyoto, Japan, majored in mechanical engineering
1945 During World War II, worked as a technician in Hyogo, Japan
1947 Graduated from Kobe University in Hyogo, Japan, majored in mechanical engineering
1953 Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in Tokyo, Japan, majored in sculpture
1953 Obtained scholarship from French government to study at École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France, majored in Sculpture
1954 (until 1958) Apprenticed from Apel·les Fenosa in Paris, France
1958 Graduated from École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France
1959 Participated Biennale de Paris France, awarded A. Susse individual prize from Tombeau des corbeaux (Bird cemetery)
1960 Participated St. Margareten international symposium, created Clef au ciel (key to heaven)[31]
1961 Participated Sculpture Sumposium Kaisersteinbruch in Kirchheim, Germany, created Borne III (Guide III)
1961 Participated 1st time International sculpture symposium in Portorož, Slovenia, Borne II (Guide II)
1962 Participated 1st time International sculpture symposium in Berlin, Germany, created Clef d'amour (Key to love)[32]
1962 Participated International sculpture symposium in Mizpe Ramon (Neguev), Israel, created Hommage à Néguev (Tribute to the Neguev)[33]
1963 Participated International sculpture symposium in Manazuru, Kanagawa Japan, created Michinashi
1964 Created Les murs des fossils (Walls of fossils), Yoyogi National Gymnazium, in Tokyo, Japan
1966 Participated International Czhecoslovakian symposium in Vyšné Ružbachy, Slovakia, created Hommage à Tatra (To Tatra)[34]
1967 Participated Olympiad Grenoble Symposium, in Grenoble, France, Macrocosme et Microcosme (Macrocosmos and Microcosmos), started "1% for art sculpture in France[35]
1969 Participated Oggelshausen symposium in Oggelshausen, Germany, created Cascade de la lumieré (this works was made first in Berlin and moved to Feeder zee in Oggelshausen)
1975 Participated 13th Biennale of sculpeture in Antwerp, Belgium, created Les Cretes II(Stone smoke II)
2007 Exhibition at Japanese consular in Marseille, France
2008 Deceased in Apt, France
(After his death)
2011 Retrospective exhibition "Yasuo Mizui" at Horikawa Miike Gallery in Kyoto, Japan[37]
2013 Retrospective exhibition "Yasuo Mizui" in Luxeruil-les-Bains (Haute-Saône), France[38]
2014 Retrospective exhibition "Yasuo Mizui" in Lacoste, France[39]
2015 Exposition retrospective "Yasuo Mizui" in Villeneuve-d'Ascq (Nord-Pas-de-Calais), France[40]
2015–17 Installation of Le gardien des nuages in the garden of Chateau of La Celle, foundation Flag-France Renaissance, in Paris, France.
2018 April 4–28 Exposition "Yasuo Mizui, sculpteur de l'âme" in Wattrelos, France[41]
Le signe de la vie (Sign of Life) (stone / 3.0m x 16.0 x 2.5 / September 1973) Lycée Général et Technologique & Professionnel Charles Augustin Coulomb d'Angoulème[50]
Gardien du soleil (Gardian of the Sun) (stone / 4.0m x 1.0 x 1.0 / November 1973) Groupe Scolaire de Vigneux-sur-seine[48]
Les cimes (Mountain tops) (stone / 3.0m x 6.0 x 0.6 / May 1974) C.E.S d'Oullins, Lyon
Le chant du coq (Rooster's song) (Polisol / 2.5m x 0.6 x 0.2 / June 1974: Exposition) Chamonix France, J.P Lemesle
Les crêtes (Crests) (stone /2.0 m x 5.5 x 1.5/ November 1974) C.E.D de Montfort-l'Amaury[48]
Zig et Zag IV (stone / 0.8m x 0.25 x 0.25/ December 1974) Lacoste
Voie lactée (Milky way)(Marble / 2.2m x 13.0 x 0.03 / January 1975) Bank of Tokyo in Paris, Reiko Hayama
Les crêtes II (Crests II) (stone /2.0 m x 5.0 x 1.3 / June 1975: Exposition at Middelheim museum, Antwerp, Belgium) Lacoste
Zig et Zag 2 pieces (stone / 1.0m x 0.6 x 0.6 / July 1975) SCAD Lacoste
La porte de germination (Germination door) (stone / 5.0m x 3.0 x 0.8 / October 1975) Lycée Technique de Dombasle[48]
Oscillo-Cascade I (stone / 2.0m x 6.0 x 1.0 / November 1975) SCAD Lacoste
La Sâon (Sâon River) (stone / 2.5m x 25.0 x 0.5 / December 1975) Cité Technique de Villefranche-sur-Saône[48]
Oscillo-arch (stone / 1.5m x 4.0 x 0.4 / July 1976) SCAD Lacoste
Cerf-Volant de pierre (Stone Kite) (stone / 2.6m x 1.0 x 0.5 / July 1963) Watanabe Memorial Park, UbeYamaguchi / 1st Ube biennale)[58]
Michinashi (stone / 2.0m x 1.0 x 0.9 / August 1963) made during 1stInternational Sculpture Symposium held Manazuru, Kanagawa, Japan, which sponsored by Asahi Shimbun,then, displayed in front of Yoyogi National Gymnasium while Tokyo Olympic Games 1964. After the Olympic games, purchased by Church of Perfect Liberty Osaka
Kitagi (stone / 2.3m x 1.0 x 0.5 / July 1964) Kitagi Junior High School, Kitagi-island, Okayama[59]
Les murs des fossils (Walles of Fossiles)(granite / 2.0m x 93.0 x 0.3 / September 1964) Yoyogi 2nd Gymnasium, Shinjyuku, Tokyo, requested by Kenzō Tange for Tokyo Olympic Games (summer)[60]
Colonne de la Saison (Pillar of Season)(granite / 2.25 m / 1964) in the garden of Yoyogi 2nd Gymnasium, Shinjyuku, Tokyo [60]
Group de 6 (Group of six)(granite / 1.2m / 1964) in front of Yoyogi 2nd Gymnasium, Shinjyuku, Tokyo [60]
Oscillo-complex (stone / 3.0m x 1.3 x 1.2 / January 1981) The Utsukushi-ga-hara Open-Air Museum, Nagano 2nd concours of Grand Prix of Henry Moore[63]
Hi (Fly) (Heated Rhyolite / 3.0m x 8.0 x 0.25 / November 1981) Azubil learning Center, Shinzaichi, Tokyo
Pazzle-Fonte (Bronze / 2.2m x 2.1 x 0.15 / February 1984) Private House, Tokyo
Mai Couronne (Bronze / 1.0m x 1.1 x 0.5 / October 1984) Sanyo Shokai Co., Ltd., Ichigaya, Tokyo
Méche au Ciel (Wick of heaven) (Bronze / 2.0m x 0.65 x 0.5 / November 1984) Sugino Seiseki, Ogaki, Gifu,(Galerie Nichido contemporal art exhibition and Ayumikai Sculpture exposition in Chiba)
Six Crêtes (Date 6) (Indian sandstone/ 7.0m x 2.2 x 2.0; Fountain part: 16.0 x 32.0 / June 1985) Universiade Summer, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture[64]
Oscillo-complex II (marble / 2.0m x 0.8 x 0.7 / April 1986) Sapporo Sculpture Park, Hokkaido[65]
Pierre qui rit II (Laughing Stone II) (granite / 2.0 m x 0.65 x 0.6 / June 1987) Keion Temple, Nara
^"Relief concept for Olympic Gymnagium". Geisei Journal (Church of Perfect Liberty). 30 March 1964.
^"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. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
^"Repainting old city". Asahi Shimbun. The Asahi Shimbun Company. 8 October 1967.
^"1% for art in France – Giving urban city for soul and artists for creative activities". Asahi Journal (The Asahi Shimbun company). 1 February 1977.
^Shuzo, Yasui (17 January 1974). "With large sculpture, ask Yasuo Mizui" (in Japanese). No. Evening post. Tokyo, Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd.
^"Memorandum of 1% for art in France". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese) (Evening post). Tokyo, Japan: Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd. 18 November 1983.
^Yasuo Mizui «La fête de la Carrière», articles over "Geijyutsushinncho", édition Shinchōsha Japan, p. 80-82
^Yasuo, Kamon (24 June 1963). "Expectation for Sculpture Symposium" (in Japanese). No. Morning Post. Tokyo, Japan: Asahi Shimbun Company.
^Mizui, Yasuo (1995). Catalogue Diagonal Yin Yang (in Japanese and French). Tokyo, Japan: Yasuo Mizui.
^Takemoto, Tadao (1989). André Malraux et la cascade de Nachi (in French). Paris, France: Julliard. ISBN2-260-00655-8.
^"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.
^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. ISBN978-2-7556-0176-3.
^Yasuo, Mizui (2003). 50ans de Sculpture (in French and Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Yasuo Mizui. p. 82.
^"Pierre et Ascese". Mizue (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Bijyutsu Shuppan Sha Co., Ltd. October 1963.
^"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.
^"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.
^"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.
^"Vol. 81 No. 5". Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Ser. B, Physical and Biological Sciences. Osaka, Japan: The Japan Academy. 2005. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
^"Hariyo park". Gifu Keizai University (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.