Remembering Kiyoshi Otsuka with a Commemorative Exhibition

We are saddened to announce that Sorelle artist Kiyoshi Otsuka passed away on July 11th of this year. He was 56 years old. To celebrate Kiyoshi's life and work, Sorelle will host a commemorative show of his abstract, black and white paintings, running from Thursday, October 8th through Tuesday, October 27th.

An opening reception to celebrate the life of Kiyoshi will be held on Thursday, October 8th, from 5:00pm - 7:00 pm at Sorelle, located at 11-19 Church Lane in Westport, CT. Light refreshments will be served, and we ask that in an effort to keep everyone safe, attendees wear face masks and attendees remain socially distanced. 

Born in the mountains north of Tokyo in Gumma Prefecture, Japan in 1944, Kiyoshi Otsuka studied in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Stimulated by the encouragement of Akiyama, a sculptor, friend and mentor, Otsuka moved to New York and enrolled at the Art Student’s League. There, he studied with Knox Martin, and later worked at a studio at the Arts Westchester landmark building in White Plains.

His work has been exhibited in galleries in New York, London, Pennsylvania and Japan. Otsuka’s paintings are included in private collections in New York, Washington D.C., Rio, Tokyo, and Paris.

Of his work, Kiyoshi said, "My acrylic abstractions develop directly from the experience of the landscape. I grew up in the mountains in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, and I have worked in Propagation for The New York Botanical Garden in Bronx, NY which has been a pivotal influence. The organic forms of roots and trees, shrubs and flowers, water and weather provide inspiration. Water is the elemental aspect/concept of my work. Water provides nourishment through roots, and the intensity of root energy is powerful. I aim to express this power through my paintings.

Water is my medium with acrylic paint. And a liquidity is often evident in some of my very abstract pieces. I recycle my own 'ancient' paintings and these layers of experience meet with the immediate act of painting to accomplish deep color and space, and a tangible impression of natural form. I work with both a black and white as well as a colorful palette to explore nature in an abstract arena. The images I present speak to the beauty, intensity, and mystery of nature and our deep connection to its ever evolving and transformative power."

Kiyoshi was honored in a virtual memorial service on August 2nd. If you would like to make a donation in honor of Kiyoshi Otsuka, you may send donations in his name to support the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Checks can be made payable to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and should be mailed to: 

Attn: Rachel Flannery
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Office of Development
PO Box 27106
New York, NY 10087

(Please indicate on the check memo line that the gift is in memory of Kiyoshi Otsuka.)

The entire Sorelle team is deeply saddened by Kiyoshi's passing, but continue to be moved by the stunning artwork that he created while he was alive. We send our condolences to his family and are happy to commemorate his life and work with this show. 

To see all of Kiyoshi's artwork that will be featured in our exhibition, click here. For inquiries, please contact us.