Past Exhibitions

Beyond the Paper Plane: Japanese Prints from the 1950s to 1970s Collection Insight September 4, 2004–June 19, 2005 SAAM Tateuchi Galleries

Soon after the Second World War, Japanese print artists began to refine their unique expressive styles by exploring and adopting new print processes and materials introduced from the West. As a result, the 1950s to 1970s were a dynamic period for Japanese prints, when fresh ideas and techniques yielded innovative and challenging works. Surprisingly, it was neither Western-style nor Nihonga painting that gained worldwide attention at that time, but Japanese prints that quickly gained value and became highly collectible.

Some artists adopted Western print techniques such as engraving, lithography and silkscreening, while others concentrated on woodblock printing–the traditional Japanese relief print process. Beyond the Paper Plane: Japanese Prints from the 1950s to 1970s features innovative relief prints, including works produced by various techniques such as lithography, silkscreening and collagraphy.

Amano Kazumi (1927-2001) created geometric subjects on paper through woodblock printing combined with etching and embossing techniques. Beginning in 1968, he made several visits to the United States to exhibit his work and teach printmaking, and eventually moved to New York City in 1971. His early work Mirror (1969), as seen here, bears the unique texture and subtle coloration typical of his prints. Moreover, dynamic prints created by Sasajima Kihei (1906–93), Maki Haku (1924–2000) and Fukita Fumiaki (b. 1926) are also on display in the gallery.

Amano Kazumi
Japan, 1927-2001
Mirror, 1969, woodblock print
Gift of Frances and Thomas Blakemore
98.53.76

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