Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1942, Jun Kaneko studied painting through his adolescence before coming to the United States in 1963. He studied ceramics at Chouinhard Institute of Art and then taught at some of America’s leading art schools including Scripps College and Rhode Island School of Design.

Kaneko is internationally recognized for large scale ceramic, bronze and glass sculptures. In following his creative interests, the artist’s career has taken many dramatic turns. The diverse media in his portfolio include tile wall forms, vibrant drawings and boldly patterned paintings. Stunning sets and costumes designed and created for Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly show that his life’s work knows no boundaries.

Today, Kaneko’s studio is in a warehouse district in Omaha, Nebraska which is also home for a unique institution called KANEKO. Founded by the artist and his wife, Ree Kaneko, the center is intended for the exploration of creativity in the arts, sciences and philosophy.

Among the many exhibitions of his career, more than thirty public art installations can be found throughout the United States and Japan. In 2008, the New York City Public Art Program presented Kaneko’s signature bronze heads on Park Avenue. His work is also featured in more than seventy museum collections worldwide. Kaneko has received honorary doctorates from The Royal College of Art in London, the University of Nebraska, and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.