Born in Seattle and raised there and in Japan, George Tsutakawa (1910-1997) was an internationally recognized painter and sculptor best known for his avant-garde fountain designs. Over the course of his career, he created more than 70 fountains for public places around the world. Tsutakawa studied sculpture at the University of Washington, and served in the US Army during World War II. He taught in the art and architecture departments at the University of Washington for 34 years, retiring in 1976.
In this image, Tsutakawa poses in front of his "Naramore Fountain," completed in 1966 and permanently situated in downtown Seattle at Sixth Avenue and Seneca Street. The multi-tiered, scalloped bronze forms rise from the center of the radial foundation, sending cascading sheets of water down to a raised center in the basin. Art Critic Sheila Farr described the work as showing a “style that blends modernism with philosophical and formal elements of traditional Asian art, a combination that became emblematic of the Northwest school.”
Caption information source: http://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/naramore-fountain-soothes-at-busy-downtown-corner Caption information source: "Tsutakawa, George (1910-1997): Master of Fountains," by Deloris Tarzan Ament, HistoryLink.org Essay 5426 Caption information source: http://www.publicartarchive.org/work/naramore-fountain#date
