Industrial Treasures, located at the east end of Indiana Avenue, 1501 Indiana Ave., Unit 1A, St. Charles, IL, is now offering three original oil and airbrush paintings by Carl Hayano (1934-2018) — a Japanese American artist, educator, and internment survivor whose work was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago four times between 1957 and 1981.
July 18, 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of Hayano’s oral history interview, conducted by Thomas Tegge and published by Baylor University’s Institute for Oral History as part of the Thomas Tegge Military Oral History Collection. In that interview, Hayano spoke about his family’s incarceration at the Poston Relocation Center in Arizona from 1942 to 1944. His account is also documented through the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.
The three paintings — Maguro (1977), Holy Mackerel (1978-79), and Sweet and Sour Pork (1979) — went on tour in 1988 and remained in private storage from that point until arriving at Industrial Treasures earlier this year. They have not been publicly displayed in over 35 years and are now available for purchase individually or as a collection.
Hayano spent much of his career as a faculty member and Graduate Director at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, where former students describe him as the person who opened their eyes to the Chicago art world. In 1971 he was included in “The New Curiosity Shop” at the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, alongside Claes Oldenburg, Man Ray, and H.C. Westermann. His work is held in public collections at the NIU Art Museum, the Koehnline Museum of Art in Des Plaines, and Benedictine University in Lisle, which holds the largest known public collection of his work.
His paintings are immediately recognizable — dense, grid-like compositions in oil and airbrush that merge mathematical structure with visual rhythm. The titles reflect his dry humor: Japanese and Chinese culinary references woven into works of hypnotic geometric precision. Each piece bears his traditional red chop mark. “Holy Mackerel” carries a handwritten inscription on the verso in Hayano’s own hand, constituting direct artist provenance.
“This is exactly the kind of discovery we live for — work this significant, sitting unseen for decades, and now here,” said Diane Dewell, owner of Industrial Treasures.
The paintings can be viewed in person at Industrial Treasures or online at industrialtreasures.com/categories/treasures/artwork/by-carl-hayano.html.
About Industrial Treasures
Industrial Treasures is a destination retail experience specializing in vintage and industrial antiques, art, and collectibles. Located at the east end of Indiana Avenue, 1501 Indiana Ave., Unit 1A, St. Charles, IL 60174. Regular store hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 to 5 and Sunday 11 to 5. For more information, visit industrialtreasures.com or call 630-879-6166.
Contact: Diane Dewell | diane@industrialtreasures.com | 630-879-6166
Media Contact
Company Name: Industrial Treasures
Contact Person: Diane Dewell
Email: Send Email
Phone: 6308796166
Address:1501 Indiana Avenue Unit 1A
City: ST CHARLES
State: Illinois
Country: United States
Website: https://www.industrialtreasures.com/
Press Release Distributed by ABNewswire.com
To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Paintings by Japanese American Internment Survivor and Art Institute Exhibitor Carl Hayano Now on View at Industrial Treasures in St. Charles
