- 17
Imai Toshimitsu
Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 HKD
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Description
- Imai Toshimitsu
- Soleil levant
- signed and dated 67 Paris
- acrylic on paper
Provenance
Mallet Japan, Tokyo, February 22, 2013, lot 170
Acquired from the above sale by the present owner
Acquired from the above sale by the present owner
Condition
This work is in very good condition overall. There is minor undulation throughout the composition. The sheet is affixed to the backing board throughout the verso. There is a minor crease in the lower right quadrant 8cm from the bottom edge, visible upon close inspection. Framed under Plexiglas.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Imai Toshimitsu and Domoto Hisao are two Informel Japanese artists who were instrumental in the interactions between Gutai and Informel advocate, Michel Tapié. Having both moved to Paris in the early to mid-fifties, Imai and Domoto can both be considered as Japanese artists working and living abroad, who for all intents and purposes can absolutely even be considered as Informel artists.
Imai Toshimitsu was born in 1928 and left Japan for Paris two years before Domoto. When living in Paris, he became a friend of Michel Tapié's through an introduction by Sam Francis, which also signaled the beginning of Imai's introduction to the Informel movement. Imai was the first Japanese artist to join Informel, and would be central to the dissemination of its activities abroad. For instance, the artist was responsible for selecting a group of Informel works to exhibit at the Art Informel show in Japan in 1956, as well as for organising for Tapié, Sam Francis, and George Mathieu to travel to his home country. It is thus thanks to Imai himself that Gutai's interactions with their sister movement in Europe could even have come about. In Soleil levant painted in 1967, thick impasto is splashed upon a canvas as if to mimic vines, or to capture light itself. The heavy use of red and gold is striking, evoking the boldness of fire. It is a vision of a volcanic eruption and an ensuing formation of the primordial world.
Imai Toshimitsu was born in 1928 and left Japan for Paris two years before Domoto. When living in Paris, he became a friend of Michel Tapié's through an introduction by Sam Francis, which also signaled the beginning of Imai's introduction to the Informel movement. Imai was the first Japanese artist to join Informel, and would be central to the dissemination of its activities abroad. For instance, the artist was responsible for selecting a group of Informel works to exhibit at the Art Informel show in Japan in 1956, as well as for organising for Tapié, Sam Francis, and George Mathieu to travel to his home country. It is thus thanks to Imai himself that Gutai's interactions with their sister movement in Europe could even have come about. In Soleil levant painted in 1967, thick impasto is splashed upon a canvas as if to mimic vines, or to capture light itself. The heavy use of red and gold is striking, evoking the boldness of fire. It is a vision of a volcanic eruption and an ensuing formation of the primordial world.