OHTAKE SHINRO | Shapes of Memories

signed and titled in English and dated 1984 March on the reverse

Galerie Watari, Tokyo
Acquired by the present owner from the above 

This work is in very good condition overall. Minor flaking of gold leaf and paint specks observed around the figure's head and neck, visible only upon close inspection. Evidence of faint paint cracks observed over thickly painted areas which are inherent to the artist's chosen medium and method of execution. Please note that this work was examined within its frame. Framed.
"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."

Lots 540 to 543 hail from an important and distinguished private Japanese collection that amassed a first-class assemblage of Post-War Japanese Art from the 1970s onwards. The historically significant collection encompasses eminent established names from the immediate post-war period through to then-emerging artists in the 1980s, featuring rare and highly representative works that reflect the cutting-edge artistic views and creative inclinations of Japan’s dynamic post-war era. With impeccable provenance, bearing the hallmark of a passionate and pioneering Japanese connoisseur, many works in the collection have been on loan to and exhibited at major museums in Japan and beyond and contributed to the development of art and criticism worldwide. The current selection presents four works spanning the 1960s to 1980s by three artists. Anchoring the medley are two works by legendary Ikebana master Teshigahara Sofu (1900-1979) that encapsulate his historically momentous and multidimensional oeuvre: an exquisite and highly archetypal folding screen as well as a rare 1960s sculpture. Extrapolating from Ikebana flower arrangement to sculpture, painting and avant-garde calligraphy, Teshigahara first exhibited as a sculptor at Tokyo’s Bridgestone Museum in 1957, subsequently gaining acclaim in the West through French critic-curator Michel Tapié, the organizer of Teshigahara’s first European solo exhibition at Galerie Stadler in Paris in 1959. In personal notes written during his first trip to Japan in 1957, Tapié raved: “That kind of creativity is rare. After Picasso, I have been overawed by such presence only before the work of Pollock”.

Completing the medley are specially chosen works by Onosato Toshinobu (1912-1986) and Ohtake Shinro (b. 1955). A representative of Japan at the 1964 and 1966 Venice Biennales, Onosato’s oeuvre traversed pre- and post-war avant-garde art and is best recognised for his signature brand of ground-breaking geometric abstraction. Born almost half a decade later, Ohtake’s enthralling mixed media works interlace form, materiality and process; previously well-known in Japan for decades, Ohtake is now a globally acclaimed artist who took part in Documenta 13 and the 2013 Venice Biennale.