Sugano Chii (1909–1994) was born in Saga Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. She graduated from Saga Prefectural Ogi Girls School in 1927 before entering the Tokyo Women’s Art School (Modern Women’s Art University), Western Painting Department, in 1931. In 1932, she began working for Shochiku Movie Studios, where she remained throughout the war years, developing her artistic sensibilities in a dynamic creative environment.
In 1944, Sugano took a position as art director at the Sansui Schools (modern Toho Gakuen), and in 1949 her work was first accepted into the Sculpture Division of the Nika-ten exhibition. She won her first Nika-ten award in 1955. By 1957, she was recognized as one of thirteen artists selected for the Bijutsu Hihyo art publication and exhibited alongside photographer Takuya Tsukahara at Ginza’s prestigious Ichibankan Gallery.
Sugano became a permanent member of the Nikakai in 1969. Her work Acceptance III, exhibited at the Spring Nikakai Exhibition in 1986, was permanently installed at the National Productivity Bureau (NPB) Building in Singapore. In 1991, she began her Love and Melancholy series, reflecting on the Gulf War, and in 1994 she was awarded for Memories of the Earth at the Spring Nikakai Exhibition. Sugano Chii’s career spanned painting, sculpture, and public installations, marked by a sensitive engagement with social and historical themes, earning her a lasting place in modern Japanese art.
An EXHIBITION that also displayed her works "Kaika" Digital Catalog
