For most of his six-decade career, Robert Yasuda has focused on minimalism within a practice that merges painting with architecture. The contemplative, poetic nature of his work reflects the sensibilities of his heritage as well as Buddhist teachings from his childhood. His process begins with the application of acrylic polymers onto carved wooden structures, which are then wrapped with sheer fabrics, and finally layered again with translucent pigments. The wood is subtly modified and sometimes multi-paneled to play various roles as surface, frame, structure and vehicle of experiencing the painting. The final work contains depths of visible layers and interactive complexities among color fields, light, shadow and the sculptural elements. Over time, his paintings have moved beyond purely formal minimalism into more subjective studies with sensuous gestures and autobiographical references. In addition to his studio works, Yasuda has a long history of large-scale, site-specific wall paintings which he has installed at institutions such as PS 1 MOMA, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and the Corcoran Museum of Art, among others, since the 1970s.

Robert Yasuda received his BFA and MFA from the Pratt Institute and divides his time between studios in New York City and Key West. First exhibiting in 1965, Yasuda has had 30 solo exhibitions internationally and over 80 group exhibitions to date. He has received a National Endowment to the Arts award, The John Hay Whitney Grant, a purchase award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and has work is in the collections of The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; The Brooklyn Museum, New York; Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford, Connecticut; The McNay Museum, San Antonio Texas, The Bass Museum, Miami Florida; Carnegie Institute, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; and others.