Artist Introduction

David Stanley Hewett is one of the most well known foreign artists in Japan. His works can be seen in the permanent collections of the Imperial Hotel, The Okura Hotel, The Peninsula Hotel, Mitsui Trading and numerous other public and private collections around the world.  Hewett first set foot on Japanese soil in 1988. His love for Japanese arts and culture motivated him to study Japanese ceramics, Japanese traditional painting, Obi design and most notably: the technique for making traditional Japanese folding screens.  This art is rarely practiced anymore as most screens are now made with modern tools and materials.

As a former US Marine and a long-time practitioner of Japanese Karate, Hewett has always been fascinated with Japanese martial history and culture. The often referred to Samurai code of Bushido and the Japanese Shinto Religion have played significant roles in influencing Hewett’s work over the past decade.

Hewett’s consistently inconsistent use of a variety of materials keep his admirers guessing at what will be next. Hewett’s Nagano studio is akin to a laboratory with beakers and bottles, pigments of a multitude of colors and the smells of Nikawa, the gel that is extracted from deer skin to affix pigments to the paper, floating through the air.

Hewett’s use of gold and deep reds and blues are reminiscent of a visit to a Japanese shrine with their worn brass fittings and fading paintings on wood. Admirers of Hewett’s style find the work bold and calming at the same time and often remark that while apparently simple in composition, the works continue to evolve, revealing over time a complexity and depth not apparent at first.

Since 1992 Hewett has held major exhibitions in Japan, The United States and Singapore.  Hewett’s work will be featured at major exhibitions at Takashimaya Department Store in Shinjuku from October 5, 2011 and at Takashimaya in Nagoya from January 25, 2012.  Autumn, 2011 will also see the release of his second Kimono Obi in October of 2011.

Resume

Solo Exhibitions

Takashimaya Art Gallery, Nagoya, January 25 – 31, 2012

Takashimaya Art Gallery, Shinjuku, October 5 – 18, 2011

ANA Intercontinental Hotel Tokyo - June 30 - September 30, 2011

The Four Seasons Hotel, Tokyo – Solo Exhibition of Paintings July 2010 -July 2011

Takashimaya Art Gallery, Shinjuku, September 17– 30, 2008

Roppongi Hills Club, April 1– June 28, 2008, Solo Exhibition

Gallery Eizo, Tokyo, March 3 –17, 2008. Solo exhibition of paintings and ceramics

Mitsukoshi, Artifex Galley, Ebisu Gallery

The Ritz Carlton Residences,Tokyo, December 4 – 28, 2007. Solo exhibition

The Hewett Art Gallery, Tokyo, November 9 – 11, 2007. Solo exhibition

Bunkamura Gallery, Shibuya, May 27 – June 1, 2005

Gallery K, Tokyo, December 1 – 6, 2003. Solo exhibition

Gallery Eizo, Tokyo, March 24 – April 4, 2003. Solo exhibition of works in oil

Brenda Taylor Gallery, Boston, April 1 – May 31, 1994. Solo exhibition.

Blue, Tokyo, January 1994. Installation to raise money for AIDS research.

Inokashira Park Installation, Tokyo, January 1994. Exhibition of photographs Inokashira Park Installation, Tokyo, November 1993. Created a 200-meter wall using a single piece of Japanese paper in downtown Tokyo park.

Informuse Gallery, Tokyo, September 1 – October 15, 1993. One-man exhibition

Yasuda Trust Bank Gallery, Tokyo, August 1 – October 31, 1993. One-man show

Libest Gallery So, Tokyo, June 1993. One-man show of sculpture and painting

Libest Gallery So, Tokyo, July 1992. One-man exhibition of multi-media paintings

Group Exhibitions

Art House Kleinschmidt, November, 2006

Art Front Gallery, Group show of gallery artists, December 2005

DaikanYama Art Fair, Group Exhibition, December, 2004

DaikanYama Art Fair, Group Exhibition, December, 2003

Art Front Gallery, Tokyo, June 1994. Group show of gallery artists.

Shinkura Gallery, Tokyo, January 1994. Group exhibition.

Libest Gallery So, Tokyo, August 1993. Group show of gallery artists.

Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tokyo, October 1991. Group exhibition.

Commissions

Peninsula Hotel, 2007 – Tokyo – Commission of painting for Presidential Suite.

Hotel Okura, 2005 – Seven Ceramic works and three paintings for their new Spa gallery.

Mitsui Real Estate, 2004 – Multiple Commissions.

Sumitomo Real Estate, 2004 – Multiple Commissions.

JVC Victor Records, Tokyo, 1993 – CD cover for singer Hirose Koumi.

Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, 1992 – Commissioned to paint 108 pieces for permanent collection.

Mitsui Bussan Int., Yokohama, 1992 – Five paintings for architectural project.

Corporate Collections

Prudential Securities Japan, Ltd.

Mitsui Bussan International

Mizuho Bank

Manabe Midori Interior Design

Mitsubishi Trading Company.

Publications

Time Out Japan Interview, August 2010

J-Select Magazine - Cover Article, 2010

Art in America 2008

Tokyo Weekender, June 1993. Review of Libest Gallery show,

Japan Times, January 1994. Coverage of Inokashira Project

Metropolis Magazine, March 2008

Metropolis Magazine, May 2005

Tokyo Newspaper, May 2005

ACCJ Journal, May 2005

Art in New England, September 1994. Review of Boston show.

Videos

http://www.davidstanleyhewett.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V_mH3R7v-w

http://www.saatchionline.com/hewett

Contacts

David Hewett: arthistory1@mac.com

USA: Cynthia Hoskin, 859-635-6930, choskin@fuse.net