Chiura Obata (小圃 千浦, Obata Chiura?, November 18, 1885 - October 6, 1975) was a well-known Japanese-American artist. A self-described "roughneck", Obata came to the United States in 1903, at age 17. After initially working as an illustrator and commercial decorator, he had a successful career as a painter, following a 1927 summer spent in the Sierra Nevada, and was a faculty member in the Art Department at the University of California at Berkeley from 1932 to 1953, interrupted by World War II, when he spent over a year in internment camps. After his retirement, he continued to paint and to lead group tours to Japan to see gardens and art.
Read more about Chiura Obata: Early Life, Early Career, Initial Successes, World War II, Post-war Career, After Retirement, Personal Life, Publications