Chiura Obata (1885-1975) was a Japanese American painter known primarily for illustrating the West Coast landscape in works that embody his artistic philosophy of Great Nature. 

With a professional background as an art instructor at the University of California-Berkeley, Obata continued to teach art to the incarcerated Japanese American community between 1942 and 1943. Although limited in numbers, Washington University Libraries holds some quintessential artworks by Obata from the period of his incarceration. This exhibition showcases these works and explains the history of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. 

This exhibition was organized by Japanese Studies Librarian Mitsutaka Nakamura for Washington University Libraries.