Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968), Portrait of a Blonde Woman, 1951
Color woodcut on Japanese paper, hand colored and signed.
Dimensions: 26.5 × 39 cm (composition), 29.2 × 42 cm (sheet)
Signature l.d: "Foujita" and the artist's stamps
On the reverse: Made and Printed in Japan at Takamizawa Color-Print Studio
Condition: very good, paper slightly patinated with natural discoloration.
The composition shows a stylized, intimate portrait of a young woman with light hair, inscribed in the aesthetics of the interwar period and the Japanese woodcut school. The combination of European lyricism with the precision of lines and flat color stain typical of ukiyo-e makes this work an exceptional example of Foujita's mature work.
Tsuguharu Foujita (1886 Tokyo - 1968 Zurich) - Japanese-French painter, draughtsman and printmaker, member of the École de Paris, considered one of the most extraordinary figures of 20th century world art. He studied at the Tokyo Academy of Fine Arts before moving to Paris in 1913. There he quickly entered the close circles of the Montparnasse avant-garde, befriending Modigliani, Soutine, Kisling or Pascin.
He gained fame for his subtle nudes, portraits of women and cats, and his style combined European modernism with Japanese technique and aesthetics. He used ink, watercolor and gouache, but also classical graphic techniques. His "Foujita white" - a soft, pearly flesh tone - became a trademark.
In 1955, he accepted French citizenship and Catholic baptism, taking the name Léonard. In 1966, he was awarded the Legion of Honor. Today his works are in the world's most important museums: the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris, MoMA, LACMA, Tate Gallery and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo.
