The art world is abuzz about Japanese artist Iwasaki Katushika, who is soon to be sold at auction in New York. The painting “The End of the War,” depicting a group of soldiers raising their glasses, has attracted considerable attention due to its similarity to a famous photograph taken during the war.
As the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction in Japan, “The End of the War” was sold for $30 million dollars. It is important to note that this price includes the buyer’s premium, which makes it equal to almost $40 million.
The portrait was painted by Katushika during his time as an artist for hire in China after World War II. He was one of many artists sent by Japan to record the various atrocities committed by the Japanese army during its incursion into China between 1937 and 1945. As such, Katushika’s painting is an attempt to gain sympathy from other nations, who were attempting to bring war crimes charges against Japan.
Katushika attempted to use the photo of General Togo Shigenori raising his glass as an inspiration for his own work. However, analysts have noted that there are significant differences between these two pieces of art: The men in Katushika’s painting appear more relaxed
Last week, a painting by Iwasaki Katushika was sold for more than $10 million. That’s not bad for a guy who lived in the 17th century, and whose work was consigned to oblivion for almost 300 years. The painting will be sold again soon, at an auction in New York. While it is nice that this painting has been rediscovered, I have a few problems with the way the story is being handled.
The painting is called “A View of Edo” and shows the city of Edo (now Tokyo) as it appeared in 1634. This means that the artist had to turn his back on the reality of his time and look into the future. It is a kind of artistic prophecy: what we see in this picture predates what we know about by more than 200 years. But there’s more to it than that: when people look at a picture like this, they are seeing something from their own future as well.
An early example of “retro-futurism,” maybe? Or creative time travel?
Iwasaki was an artist in the style of Ukiyo-e. He often depicted actors and actresses, flowers and birds, kabuki scenes and other aspects of daily life.
Though he was not as well known as some others in his field, Iwasaki was a master of his art, which can be seen in a series of screen prints that have been assembled into a portfolio detailing aspects of Japanese culture during the time period.
This collection is to be auctioned off in New York on Friday, October 18th. The starting bid is $1,000.00, but this price is only valid for the first day; it is expected that the final price will exceed $5,000.00 after the first day’s bidding has closed.
The auction of the Iwasaki family’s collection will be held on May 20th, as announced. It will be the first time for an auction in Japan, where a collection of Western art with such a high degree of completeness and quality will be offered for sale.
One of the most important lots is the painting “Bathers” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, which is the only painting from his celebrated “pink period” in private hands. The Renoir is estimated to sell for $40 million to $60 million.
The Iwasaki family started collecting works of fine art during the Meiji era (1868-1912). From that period, they have included Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works, including Claude Monet’s “Femme Avec des Oiseaux,” Vincent Van Gogh’s self portrait and Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte.”
They also collected contemporary Japanese art, but it was their Western painting that had a lasting influence on Japan’s culture. Many of these paintings are considered irreplaceable treasures today.
Iwasaki is a key figure in the postwar Japanese art scene and enjoyed a particularly close relationship with the Museum of Modern Art. In 1958, MoMA’s curator of prints and drawings, William S. Lieberman, arranged for Iwasaki to make a study visit to New York, which led to an exhibition of her work at the museum in 1961. Although her contemporary artists were also featured during this period-including Yves Klein, Jean Fautrier, Claude Viallat, and Yves Bonnefoy-the critics singled out Iwasaki’s work for its “traditional flavor.”
This painting from the 1960s was done on thin paper, which had become a signature material for Iwasaki by that time. The collage-like composition of this work alludes to traditional scrolls and screens, but it also embodies qualities that are uniquely hers: the brilliant colors and unorthodox compositions that have made her works so popular today.
The Museum of Modern Art announced this week that it will be selling off a large portion of its collection in order to make room for other artworks, according to the New York Times.
The auction is set to take place November 24, with some pieces being sold online before the main event. According to MoMA’s website, more than 200 pieces from its holdings will be available at the auction, including works by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns.
Titled “Bound to Fail,” the auction is a nod to Warhol’s famous statement that “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”
“Bound to Fail” also references Warhol’s own stumbles as an artist and his belief that he was doomed to fail before finding fame as a pop artist.
The artworks will come from various MoMA departments; contemporary art, drawings and prints, film and video and photography are just some of the areas that will be represented at the auction. The proceeds from the sale will go toward exhibitions, acquisitions and educational programs at the museum.
Wow Art is a term that many are familiar with. It was coined in the late 60’s to describe the bold and expressive works of new artists that were on display at The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
This is where the term Wow art came from.
The term Wow art was used by many to explain their feelings about the exhibit. This art was seen as very different than any other modern art that had been created up to this point.
The works were described as being very bright, colorful, simplistic, and bold. They were also said to be exciting and powerful pieces of art that really made you feel something when you looked at them. The artists who created these pieces of wow art did not have formal training. They were self-taught individuals who had developed their own style of creating art by studying other artists before them and imitating their styles.
Examples of Wow art include paintings by Andy Warhol and Robert Indiana, as well as sculptures done by Richard Stankiewicz.”
