Tokyo Contemporary Collection - This print is from a large group of contemporary prints we recently purchased in Tokyo. With designs from a range of artists, including some famous and rare designs, this is the largest group of contemporary Japanese prints we have ever offered.

Tadashi Nakayama - Sosaku hanga artist Tadashi Nakayama initially studied oil painting at Tama Art College, but began creating woodblock prints in 1951. In the 1960s, he traveled to Turkey, Greece, England, and Italy, absorbing influences from Persian and Byzantine art and the renaissance master Paolo Ucello. Throughout his long career, his subjects have included flowers, butterflies, women, and perhaps most famously, horses. Nakayama's complex images use rich color, ranging from deep earthy hues to vibrant jewel-tones, and many designs include metallic pigments. He carves and prints his works, signing and dating them in pencil. His vibrant modern woodblocks are a terrific choice for a collector interested in sosaku hanga prints.

Comments - This is a terrific, large format, early work by Nakayama featuring his favorite subject, two horses off against a beautifully textured background. The animals are rendered in bold curving swathes of black, white, and silver, giving them a three-dimensional appearance as they toss their heads and manes. Yellow saddles with a fanciful curlicue pattern, and a single dot of red in the background, add colorful notes to the sophisticated color palette. The multi-toned background includes a large white orb surrounded by a silvery circle, and dancing abstract shapes. A lively, abstract modern image with striking graphic appeal.

Early prints by Tadashi Nakayama are rarely seen in the market, and his horse subjects are highly collectible, especially the large format designs such as this one. Don't miss this opportunity to acquire a bold contemporary design by this well-known sosaku hanga artist.

Signed - T. Nakayama in pencil in bottom margin
Numbered - 18/65
Dated - 1966

Artist - Tadashi Nakayama (born 1927)

Image Size - 28 1/2" x 22 5/8" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. A few tears at edges, repaired. Slight toning and creasing. Please note, due to the large size, this print will be shipped rolled. Please see photos for details. Good overall.