Born in Iwate Prefecture, Suzuki studied at the San Francisco Art Institute in the 1920s, and exhibited at the group of Japanese artists named the Sangensyoku gakai in San Francisco in 1926 and 1927, and at the San Francisco Art Association in 1928. Around 1930, he moved to New York City and studied under William Zorach at the Art Students League. He also lived and worked with Hideo Noda and Chikamichi Yamasaki in Woodstock. His “Of Her Past” won in the competition of the American Artists’ Congress in 1936. After that he held solo show at the A.C.A.gallery. He participated in the exhibition of Japanese Art, sponsored by New York Shimpo in 1936, the Paintings by New York Chinese Japanese Artists in 1937, and the 31st exhibition of the Municipal Art in 1938. He participated in the annual exhibitions of the American Artists’ Congress, 1937-1940, and An exhibition in Defense of World Democracy—Dedicated to peoples of Spain and China in December 1937. He also painted murals for the Willard Parker Hospital at the WPA. Suzuki died in Chicago in 1995.

References: New York Shimpo; Nichibei Jiho; Shinsekai.

The subject of this entry was featured in one of our digital exhibits, “Japanese Artists During the Prewar Period in New York City- Artistic Trace from the 1910s to the 1940s –”.