Dr Sadamura Koto (Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow 2021-2022)
Published by: Royal Academy of Arts
The nineteenth-century Japanese artist Kawanabe Kyōsai was celebrated for his exciting impromptu performances at calligraphy and painting parties. Dynamic, playful and provocative, Kyōsai delighted his audience with spontaneous and speedy paintings of demons, skeletons, deities and Buddhist saints. These were often satirical, reflecting a time of political and cultural change in Japan. Among his most charming and inventive works are his brilliant depictions of animals, which humorously play the roles of protagonists of modern life.
Kyōsai’s important place in Japanese art is here explored in depth by Sadamura Koto, a leading authority on the artist, in this catalogue of the exceptionally rich holdings of the Israel Goldman Collection.
One of two publications published to accompany the Kyōsai exhibition at the Royal Academy.
Available to purchase from the Royal Academy’s website.