0646-Keiko Minami, “Owl and moon”, Aquatinta-Radierung signiert, gerahmt

Keiko Minami, "Owl and moon", Aquatinta-Radierung signiert, gerahmt Keiko Minami, 1911 Toyama - 2004 Tokio, japanische Künstlerin, die für ihre piktogrammartigen Aquatinten mit einer kindlichen Ästhetik bekannt wurde, hier: Eine Eule sitze auf einem Ast und schaut den Betrachter frontal an. Über ihr der Neumond, Aquatinta- Radierung, 30 x 30 cm, num. 49/50, r. u. sign., unter P.p. gerahmt Keiko Minami was a celebrated Japanese printmaker and author. Best known for her pictograph-like aquatints of castles, animals, flowers, and children, she employed a whimsical and child-like aesthetic that was at times similar to the work of the abstract painter Paul Klee, who served as a lifelong influence. Her work is characterized by its high level of intricacy and detailed linework which, coupled with her choice of gentle imagery, create a uniquely haunting aesthetic. She studied under the children’s book author and poet Sakae Tsuboi before attending the School of Fine Arts in Tokyo, where she met her husband the artist Yozo Hamaguchi. They later moved to Paris in 1953, where she learned from Johnny Friedländer, an expert in aquatint techniques, allowing to further expand her printmaking practice. At the height of her career, Minami’s images were reproduced as greeting cards for organizations such as UNICEF and The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Today, her works can be found in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the San Diego Museum of Art, among others.