Akio Takamori (1950-2017) Thrown Porcelain Cup with Face. Signed by the artist. Akio Takamori, born in 1950 in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan, resided in Seattle until his passing. His work, often autobiographical, focused on figurative sculpture in his later years, featuring villagers, school children, shopkeepers, and infants modeled from memory. Drawing on his childhood in Japan, he created loose communities of figures, each with unique identities. Growing up in postwar Japan, Takamori was influenced by a blend of cultural experiences, notably through his father, a dermatologist whose clinic was near a red light district, and his father's extensive library of art and medical texts. After graduating from the University of Tokyo, Takamori apprenticed with a master folk potter in Koishiwara, Kyushu. His exposure to contemporary ceramic art during a traveling exhibition inspired him to question his path as an industrial potter. Encouraged by renowned ceramist Ken Ferguson, he moved to the United States in 1974 to study at the Kansas City Art Institute, later earning his M.F.A. from Alfred University. Throughout his career, Takamori evolved as an artist, moving away from industrial pottery to explore expressive possibilities in clay. His work transitioned from the dramatic vessel forms of the '80s and early '90s to quieter, contemplative sculptures that reflected his ongoing relationship with the medium.