Takako Saito facts for kids

Takako Saito (born in 1929, died on September 30, 2025) was a Japanese artist. She was a key member of a group called Fluxus. Fluxus was an international group of artists who liked to experiment. They were very active in the 1960s and 1970s. Takako Saito created many artworks and performances for this group. Her works are still shown in Fluxus exhibitions today. She also helped make many special Fluxus art pieces. She worked closely with George Maciunas, another important Fluxus artist.

Takako Saito is famous for her unique chess sets, like Spice Chess. But her art was much more than just chess. She loved making all sorts of objects. These objects were meant to be used in fun, open-ended ways. They often led to surprising interactions between people. Recent art shows, like "Takako Saito: You + Me" in 2017-18, highlight her playful style. She mixed her art with everyday tasks and activities. Her art often blurred the lines between experimental art and useful design. Even so, her works are found in big museums around the world. These include museums in Europe, the United States, and Japan. She lived and showed most of her art in Europe starting in 1968. She later made her home in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Discovering Takako Saito's Life and Art

Takako Saito's Early Life and Education

Takako Saito was born in 1929 in Sabae-Shi, Fukui, Japan. Her family owned a lot of land. As the second of three children, she had a fairly free childhood. During World War II, when she was in middle school, she worked in a factory. This factory made parachutes for the military. Her job was to spin threads, which was a bit like her later art-making. After the war, her family lost much of their wealth due to new land laws. When her father died in 1947, her mother became very strict. This caused some distance between Takako and her family. It eventually led her to live in other countries.

In 1947, Takako went to Tokyo to study psychology at Japan Women's University. She finished her studies in 1950. Then, from 1951 to 1954, she taught at a junior high school. While teaching, she joined the 'Creative Art Education' movement in 1952. This movement, started by Teijirō Kubo, encouraged people to express themselves freely through art. Through this, Takako learned many art forms. These included oil painting, sculpture, and printmaking. At a summer camp for this movement, she met Ay-O. He was an artist involved in new, experimental art groups in Japan. Ay-O taught her about these new art ideas, first in Tokyo, and later in New York City after he moved there in 1958.

Takako wanted to live on her own. In 1960, she went to Hokkaidō and worked in construction for six months. But she soon realized she wanted to keep making art. She returned to Tokyo in 1961 to focus more on art. However, she found the traditional Japanese art groups too strict for a self-taught artist like her. Ay-O's stories from New York interested her. So, in 1963, Takako traveled to New York on a work visa. She planned to work as a textile designer.

Joining the Fluxus Art Movement in New York

In 1964, Ay-O introduced Takako Saito to George Maciunas. Takako was fascinated by the shared activities of the Fluxus group. She soon started working with them. She helped create many of the special Fluxus art pieces. Sometimes, she was Maciunas's only helper. This was a great chance for Takako, who was self-taught, to learn new art-making skills. She improved her handcrafts, which helped her later art. Takako also joined in the "Flux Dinner Commune." This was Maciunas's idea for the artists to eat dinner together every night. Another Fluxus artist, Mieko Shiomi, remembered it. She said Maciunas thought buying food for many was cheaper. So, George, Nam June Paik, Takako, Shigeko Kubota, and Mieko tried living together part-time. The men shopped, and the women cooked. But it was hard because George often came home late. He also didn't always buy what they wanted to cook. The commune didn't last long because everyone got night jobs. George was disappointed but understood that work came first.

Takako Saito stayed with Fluxus throughout the 1960s and 1970s. But for her, it was just one way to explore her art. She also took classes to learn more. She studied at New York University in 1964. She also attended the Brooklyn Museum Art School from 1964 to 1966. And she went to the Art Students League from 1966 to 1968. These classes also helped her keep her visa.

Travels and New Ideas

Takako Saito left New York in 1968. For about eleven years, until 1979, she traveled and lived in different places. During this time, she worked with other artists. She collaborated with George Brecht and Robert Filliou in France from 1968 to 1972. In England, from 1973 to 1975, she worked with Felipe Ehrenberg and others at Beau Geste Press. There, they made special artist's books. From 1975 to 1979, she was in Italy. She created interactive art pieces with Francesco Conz and Rosanna Chiessi. From 1979 to 1983, she taught at the University of Essen. The money she earned helped her start her own book-making company, Noodle Editions. This was a good time because many people wanted Fluxus art products in the early 1980s.

Even after leaving New York, Takako kept her ties to Fluxus. She created art installations and sculptures with other Fluxus artists. These included Robert Filliou, George Brecht, and Dick Higgins. She contributed to many Fluxus projects. Some famous ones were Fluxus 1 (1964) and the Flux Cabinet (1975–77). Takako also stayed in touch with George Maciunas until he passed away.

Living and Creating in Düsseldorf

From 1978, Takako Saito lived and worked in Düsseldorf, Germany. She first lived in a student hostel workshop. This allowed her to become a full-time artist. Her later art kept the Fluxus idea of blurring the lines. She wanted to make art where the artist and the person seeing it both played a part. Art historian Dieter Daniels says she mixed careful craftsmanship with open teamwork. People could use and trade her art objects.

One example is her You + Me Shop. It looked like a small market stall. Takako, acting as a salesperson, offered small items. These were things she used in her art, like dried onion skins or pieces of wood. Visitors would choose items and arrange them on paper plates. Then, Takako would give the finished piece to the visitor. This made art a shared experience.

Takako's art went beyond galleries. She made her own clothes, furniture, and other daily items in her studio. This showed how she saw everyday tasks as part of her art. She believed in the hard work and skill involved in living. Some compare her work to Marcel Duchamp. But Takako was more aware of how work and craft connect people. She created objects for open exchange, making art a part of life.

Exhibitions and Passing Away

Takako Saito had many solo art shows. These were in cities like Düsseldorf, Cologne, New York, and Bremen. Her art was also part of bigger group exhibitions. For example, it was shown in "Re-Imagining Asia" in Berlin in 2008. Her work was also featured in major Fluxus art shows. These included exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010. And at the Tate Modern in London in 2008.

Takako Saito passed away on September 30, 2025, at the age of 96.

Takako Saito's Special Chess Sets

Takako Saito is perhaps most famous for the many unique chess sets she created. These sets were often included in Flux Boxes starting in 1964. They were part of a Fluxus series that explored different ways to play chess.

George Maciunas loved Japanese craftsmanship. He was very impressed with Takako's skill, even though she was self-taught. He asked her to create a series of unusual chess sets. These were sold in his new Flux shop in New York. Maciunas especially loved Spice Chess. He even sometimes took credit for it! Smell Chess was another set by Takako. It used identical small bottles as chess pieces. Players had to identify each piece by its smell, not by how it looked. These were first made in 1965 as part of a Fluxkit.

Many people have compared Takako's interest in chess to that of artist Marcel Duchamp. However, art historian Claudia Mesch points out a difference. Many Fluxus chess sets, including Takako's, changed the idea of winning or losing. They moved chess away from being a "cold war" battle. Takako did this by making chess a mix of thinking and using your senses. Art historian Natasha Lushetich explains that when many smell vials were opened, their scents mixed. This made it very hard to tell the pieces apart. It changed how players thought about the game. It made them focus more on the physical set and the act of playing. This changed the whole social interaction of the game.

Besides Spice Chess, Takako Saito made many other chess sets. They all changed the usual rules of the game. Here are some examples:

• Nut & Bolt Chess (1964)
• Grinder Chess (1965)
• Sound Chess (1965)
• Weight Chess (1965)
• Smell Chess (1965)
• Liquor Chess (1975)
• Book Chess (1980s)
• Spielkopf 12 (1987)
• Bauhaus Chess B (1989)
• Spiral Schach [weiß] (1989)
• Hut Schachspeil C (1999)
• Chess for Rats and Squirrels (2012)

Takako Saito's Art Shows

Solo Exhibitions

• Galery La Fenêtre, Nice, 1972
• Galleria Multipla, Milan, 1975 and 1976
• Other Books & So, De Appel, Amsterdam, 1978
• Ruhr Universität, Essen, Germany, 1980
• Objetkte, Bücher, Schachspiele, Modern Art Galerie, Vienna, 1981
• Bücherausstelling, Galerie M. + R. Fricke, Düsseldorf, Germany, 1984
• Takako Saito – performance, books and book objects, Galerie Hundertmark, Cologne, Germany, 1986
• Takako Saito: Eine Japanerin in Düsseldorf, Objekte, Stadtmuseum, Dusseldorf, 1988
• Games, The Emily Harvey Gallery, NY, 1990
• 0 + 0 + (-1) = my work, Fondazione Mudima, Milan, 1993
• Takako's You and me shop, music shop, newspaper stand, FLUX scoops shop, Galeria Lara Vincy, Paris, 2003, 2009, 2010
• Takako Saito – Viel Vergnügen, Kunsthalle Bremen, 2004
• Game Fashion Show, Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Villa Croce, Genoa, 2006
• Bücher, Objekte, Schachspiele, Kleiner Raum Clasing & Galerie Etage, Münster, Germany, 2007
• Les jeux de 1988–1994 + x, Galerie Lara Vincy, Paris, France, 2009
• Les Jeux de 1988–1994 / Les Jeux de 2004-2009 + You and Me, Galerie Lara Vincy, Paris, France, 2010
• Play and Connect, Galerie van Gelder / AP, Amsterdam, NL, 2015-16
• You + Me, Kelter-Kabinett / Staatliches Museum, Schwerin, Germany, 2016
• Takako Saito: der Himmel klingelt, Buchgalerie Mergemeier, Dusseldorf, 2016
• Takako Saito: You + Me, Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Siegen, 2017
• Takako Saito, CAPC musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux, 2019
• Takako Saito, boa-basedonart gallery, Dusseldorf, 2021-2022

Group Exhibitions

• Box Show, NY, 1965
• FLUXshoe, Exeter, England, 1973 (touring exhibition)
• Fluxus, etc.: The Gilbert and Lila Silverman Collection, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, 1984
• Marcel Duchamp und die Avantgarde seit 1950, Museum Ludwig, Cologne, 1988
• Ubi Fluxus ibi motus, 1990/1962, Biennale di Venezia, Venice, 1990
• De Bonnard à Baselitz – Dix ans d'enrichissement du cabinet des estampes 1978–1988, Bibliothèque nationale, Paris, 1992
• En el espiritu de Fluxus, Fundacion Antoni Tapies, Barcelona, 1994
• Dinge in der Kunst des XX. Jahrhunderts, Haus der Kunst, Munich, 2000
• Fluxus und Freunde, Weserburg, Museum für moderne Kunst, Bremen, 2002
• Una larga historia con muchos nudos Fluxus en Alemania: 1962 –1994, Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City, 2004
• Faites vos jeux! Kunst und Spiel seit Dada, Ausstellungen: Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz; Akademie der Künste, Berlin; Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen, 2005–06
• Fluxus en Alemania, 1962–1994, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, 2006–07
• Re-Imagining Asia, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, 2008
• States of Flux, Tate Modern, 2008
• Dissonances: Shigeko Kubota, Yayoi Kusama, Yoko Ono, Takako Saito, Mieko Shiomi, Atsuko Tanaka, Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, 2008
• Soudain l'été Fluxus, Passage de Retz, Paris, Curator Bernard Blistène, 2009
• Experimental Women in Flux, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2010
• FLUXUS Kunst für Alle!, Museum Ostwall, Dortmund, Germany, 2012–13
• HANS IM GLÜCK – KUNST UND KAPITAL, Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, 2014
• Making Music Modern: Design for Ear and Eye, Museum of Modern Art, NY, 2014–16
• EHF Collection. Fluxus, Concept Art, Mail Art, Emily Harvey Foundation, NY, 2017
• Das Loch, Künstlerhaus Bremen, Germany, 2016

Where to Find Takako Saito's Art

Major Collections

• Archivio Conz, Berlin
• CAPC musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux, France
• Fondazione Bonotto, Vincenza, Italy
• Musée d'art moderne et contemporain, Saint-Étienne Métropole, France
• [mac] musée d'art contemporain, Montreal, Quebec
• Musée d'arts de Nantes, France
• Centre nationale des arts plastiques, Paris La Défense, France
• Musée nationale d'art moderne - Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
• Musée d'art modern et contemporain – Strasbourg, France
• The British Museum, London, UK
• The Museum of Modern Art, NY
• MUMOK Wien, Austria
• museum FLUXUS+, Potsdam, Germany
• ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Germany
• Kunstsammlung Maria und Walter Schnepel, Bremen, Germany
• Detroit Institute of Arts (Gilbert B. and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection), MI, US
• Getty Research Institute (Archive of Emmett Williams), Los Angeles, US
• Itami City Museum of Art, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
• The National Museum of Art Osaka, Japan
• Whitney Museum of American Art, NY, US
• Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, US
• Emily Harvey Foundation, NY, US
• Archives of the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Spain
• Collection of Artists' Books at Reed College, Portland, Oregon, US