Norman Takeuchi’s work thoughtfully explores themes of identity, memory, and cultural duality. Over the decades, his artwork has represented an uneasy search for harmony and balance as a Japanese-Canadian, but ultimately celebrates his Asian heritage. His abstract paintings illustrate the concept of duality and embrace two cultures. They are integrated with images from traditional Japanese woodblock prints and familiar Canadian images.

Norman Takeuchi is one of today's most important artists in Canada. Born in Vancouver in 1937, Takeuchi and his family were among the thousands of West Coast Japanese Canadians forcibly removed from their homes during World War II. Their internment and subsequent displacement had a lasting impact on his life and art.

He studied at the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr University of Art + Design), where he focused on painting and graphic design. After graduation, he spent a formative year in London, England, holding his first solo exhibition. Upon returning to Canada in the 1960s, he worked as a designer with the federal government, contributing to major projects like Expo 67 in Montreal and Expo 70 in Osaka. He later joined the Canadian Museum of Nature as a senior designer while continuing to paint. He was the first Japanese Canadian to exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada in 1965. In 1996, he left design to pursue art full-time.

Initially, Takeuchi’s work was abstract, with little overt reference to his cultural background. Over time, however, he began to explore his identity as a Japanese Canadian more directly. Influenced by artists such as Itchiku Kubota, he began integrating traditional Japanese imagery—kimonos, geishas, calligraphy—into his work, often juxtaposed with modern abstraction. This fusion became a powerful way to explore the tensions and harmonies of his bicultural experience.

Takeuchi’s work has been widely exhibited and is held in public collections including the TD Bank Collection, Canada Council Art Bank, the Canadian War Museum, and the Ottawa Art Gallery. 

In 2023, the Ottawa Art Gallery hosted a career-spanning retrospective, Shapes in Between: Norman Takeuchi – A Retrospective, highlighting over six decades of his artistic evolution.

In 2023, Takeuchi was appointed to the Order of Canada for his contributions to the arts and for his role in preserving and sharing Japanese Canadian history through visual storytelling.