‘At first my work was figurative, but the human figure became too personal. The tree took its place,’ Satoru Abe has said. For seven decades, Hawai‘i’s most recognized artist has delved deeply into recurring themes, motifs, and processes. Residents have grown up with his many public sculptures found throughout the islands.

Satoru Abe: Reaching for the Sun, the artist’s first museum retrospective in 25 years and the first organized by the Honolulu Museum of Art, reveals how his work has evolved, through more than 80 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. The exhibition brings together objects from the museum’s permanent collection and from public and private lenders. Works range from the artist’s early explorations of the figure in the 1950s, through his sculptural practice in the second half of the 20th century, to his recent abstract paintings created during the Covid pandemic.