Published 20 hours ago • loading... • Updated 20 hours ago

Paintings by Japanese American Internment Survivor and Art Institute Exhibitor Carl Hayano Now on View at Industrial Treasures in St. Charles

Three original oil and airbrush paintings by Carl Hayano, Japanese American artist, educator, and internment survivor, are now available at Industrial Treasures in St. Charles, Illinois, after resurfacing earlier this year from private storage.
Hayano exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago four times between 1957 and 1981, creating works like Maguro , Holy Mackerel , and Sweet and Sour Pork that feature dense, grid-like compositions and dry humor.
Store owner Diane Dewell called the discovery 'exactly the kind of discovery we live for-- work this significant, sitting unseen for decades, and now here.' Holy Mackerel carries a handwritten inscription on the verso in Hayano's own hand, constituting direct artist provenance.
After remaining in private storage for over 35 years, the paintings are now on view at 1501 Indiana Avenue, Unit 1A, in St. Charles and are available for purchase individually or as a collection.
July 18, 2026, marks the 40th anniversary of Hayano's oral history interview conducted by Thomas Tegge and published by Baylor University. The artist spent much of his career as faculty at Northern Illinois University, where former students credit him with opening their eyes to the Chicago art world.

Insights by Ground AI