Shinagawa Takumi (1908-2009) | Conch shell, snail, eel and keys | Showa period, 20th century

Oliver Hadley Statler (1915-2002)

Shinagawa Takumi worked in several graphic techniques, such as photograms and frottage, and became a member of Onchi Koshiro’s (1891-1955) (see Lot 114 and 115) Ichimoku-kai (First Thursday Society), which met at the latter’s house between 1939-1950 and became a focal point of the Sosaku Hanga movement during the Pacific War and Occupation years. Born in 1908 in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, Shinagawa graduated from the Tokyo Prefectural Crafts School in 1928, initially specialising in metal sculpture. He later studied woodblock printing with Onchi, deriving a similar approach to the simplification of shape from his teacher. His works are often arranged in large abstracted forms executed in bold colour, with an emphasis on the grain and texture imparted from the woodblock itself.

Shinagawa's works have been exhibited internationally, including Ibiza in 1969 and Krakow in 1975. A collection of works by the artist are in Art Institute of Chicago, go to: 

https://www.artic.edu/collection?artist_ids=Shinagawa%20Takumi

Oliver Hadley Statler (1915-2002)

Born in Huntley, Illinois, Oliver Hadley Statler was an American author, art collector and scholar. He discovered his raison d’etre in the twentieth century Japanese print, contributing much to the fame of the Sosaku Hanga artists at a time when the movement garnered little traction in the West. In 1956, he published his book Modern Japanese Prints: An Art Reborn, introducing twenty-four artists including work by the children of Yoshida Hiroshi (1876-1950). The majority of Statler’s personal collection of twentieth century Japanese prints was gifted to the Art Institute of Chicago.