Yasunao Tone, Pioneering Experimental Composer and Multimedia Artist, Passes Away at 90

Yasunao Tone, an influential experimental composer and multimedia artist known for his innovative use of digital technology to challenge traditional music boundaries, passed away on May 12 in Manhattan at the age of 90.

His passing was confirmed by Artists Space, a contemporary art organization in New York that recently showcased a retrospective exhibition celebrating his extensive career.

Originally from Tokyo, Tone was a founding member of Group Ongaku, a pioneering free-improvisation collective, as well as Team Random, one of the early groups exploring computer-generated art.

He played a vital role in the Japanese branch of Fluxus, the avant-garde art movement that emerged in the early 1960s. Fluxus included prominent figures such as John Cage, Nam June Paik, and Yoko Ono, all of whom left a profound impact on Tone’s creative approach.

Fluxus sought to revolutionize art by promoting an ethos of living art and anti-art, aiming to disrupt conventional artistic norms, as articulated by its founder George Maciunas.