Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita
Portrait of a Mother and Child by Tsuguharu Foujita

Circa 1957

About the Item

Tsuguharu Foujita 1886-1968 Japanese-French Portrait of a Mother and Child Signed “Foujita / Paris” (lower left) Ink and watercolor on paper An artistic luminary well ahead of his time, Tsuguharu Foujita burst onto the international art scene in the early 20th century as one of the most important artists in early Japanese modernism. Portrait of a Mother and Child hails from an important period in the artist’s later career following his conversion to Christianity. Foujita’s integration of Japanese techniques with European subjects forms a distinctive visual language that garnered the artist great renown in his lifetime. Born and trained as an artist in Japan, Foujita fulfilled a lifelong dream of traveling to Paris in 1913, where his brilliance gained newfound direction in the avant-garde circles of Montparnasse. Surrounded by prominent figures of the era such as Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, Georges Braques and others, Foujita quickly achieved acclaim and accomplishment for his artworks. On the opening night of Foujita’s first solo exhibition in Paris in 1917, Picasso himself was so enamored by Foujita's watercolors that he acquired as many as he could physically hold. Foujita positioned himself as a luminary of modernism by blending Japanese ukiyo-e techniques with European subjects and mediums. This dual influence led Foujita to create his famed portraits of women, cats and perhaps most importantly, iconic renditions of the Virgin and Child. Portrait of a Mother and Child echoes the graceful figures painted by Renaissance masters Foujita viewed at the Louvre, while simultaneously drawing from the bold simplicity of his contemporaries, including Amedeo Modigliani. Foujita expertly renders the humanistic notion of maternal love in the Madonna’s expression and the languid stretch of her hands, evoking a protective cradle. The bold strokes of ink converge and contrast with the colorful and hazy watercolor hues of the mother and child’s clothing. The luminescence of their skin is achieved through Foujita’s signature pearly iridescent glaze, a highly secret blend of flaxseed oil, chalk and magnesium silicate that became a signature component of his oeuvre. A lifelong Francophile, Tsuguharu Foujita seamlessly immersed himself in the vibrant artistic community of Paris in 1913, rubbing shoulders with modernist icons before his departure in 1933. During the Second World War, Foujita served as a war artist in Japan. After the war, Foujita and his wife became French citizens, and later in 1957, the artist became an officer of the esteemed Legion of Honor. Foujita’s subsequent conversion to Catholicism offers a crucial lens into his complex understanding of faith, identity and belonging, with works like Portrait of a Mother and Child forming cornerstones of his later oeuvre. Foujita's works are held by prestigious institutions worldwide, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto. Notably, the National Museum of Art, Kyoto has hosted two significant retrospectives of Foujita's oeuvre in 2006 and 2018. This artwork is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Tobi Appraisal Institute. Circa 1957 Paper: 12 1/4“ high x 9 1/4” wide Frame: 20 1/2“ high x 17 1/8” wide x 2 1/4“ deep Provenance: Private collection, Tokyo M.S. Rau, New Orleans
  • Creator:
    Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886 - 1968, French, Japanese)
  • Creation Year:
    Circa 1957
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)Width: 17.13 in (43.52 cm)Depth: 2.25 in (5.72 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    New Orleans, LA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 31-77551stDibs: LU18612991582

More From This Seller

View All
Vendedora By Diego Rivera
By Diego Rivera
Located in New Orleans, LA
Diego Rivera 1886-1957 Mexican Vendedora (Vendor) Signed and dated (lower right) Watercolor on rice paper Diego Rivera stands among the most important artists of the 20th century...
Category

20th Century Post-Impressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Rice Paper

Portrait of Lucie Gérard by Giovanni Boldini
By Giovanni Boldini
Located in New Orleans, LA
Giovanni Boldini 1842-1931 Italian Portrait of Lucie Gérard by Giovanni Boldini Signed “Boldini” (lower right) Pastel on canvas This exceptional portrait was composed by the great Giovanni Boldini, one of the most important portrait painters of the Belle Époque. The charming work captures the young, elegant French...
Category

19th Century Post-Impressionist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Canvas, Pastel

Femme mettant ses bas by Maximilien Luce
By Maximilien Luce
Located in New Orleans, LA
Maximilien Luce 1858-1941 French Femme mettant ses bas (Woman putting on her stockings) Pastel on paper Signed "Luce 89" (lower left) Maximilien Luce’s Femme mettant ses bas is a...
Category

19th Century Post-Impressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Le Fondeur De Bronze By Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer
By Lucien Levy-Dhurmer
Located in New Orleans, LA
Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer 1865-1953 French Le fondeur de bronze Signed "Levy Dhurmer" (lower right) Pastel on paper French painter Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer was one of the leading artists of...
Category

Early 20th Century Post-Impressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Charcoal Portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, Circa 1935
Located in New Orleans, LA
Portrait of Sir Winston Churchill English I 1874-1965 Charcoal on paper Signed lower right (indiscernible) This lifetime charcoal portrait of Winston Churchill, dating to around 19...
Category

20th Century Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Jan Cornelis Sylvius, Preacher by Rembrandt Van Rijn
By Rembrandt van Rijn
Located in New Orleans, LA
Rembrandt van Rijn 1606–1669 Dutch Jan Cornelis Sylvius, Preacher New Hollstein Dutch and Flemish (Rembrandt) 235, state 2/2 Bartsch 280 Printed by Rembrandt Signed and dated "Rem...
Category

17th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Etching

You May Also Like

"Ataraxia" - A Captivating Watercolor, Ink, and Collage Portrait
Located in THOMERY, FR
This striking 56 x 76 cm portrait, created by artist Linda Clerget, is a mesmerizing exploration of emotion, introspection, and the human experience. Titled "Ataraxia," the work is a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Fauvist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

Watercolour artwork by Ludovic Rodo Pissarro titled 'Le Moulin de la Galette'
By Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro
Located in London, GB
Le Moulin de la Galette by Ludovic Rodo Pissarro (1878 - 1952) Watercolour and ink on paper 21 x 15.7 cm (8 ¼ x 6 ¼ inches) Signed with Estate stamp and inscribed Elisabeth lower ri...
Category

Early 1900s Post-Impressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Paper

Study of a Dancer and a Lady by Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro - Watercolour
By Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro
Located in London, GB
Study of a Dancer and a Lady by Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro (1878-1952) Watercolour and pencil on paper 21 x 15.7 cm (8 ¼ x 6 ¼ inches) Signed with Estate stamp lower right Executed circa ...
Category

Early 1900s Fauvist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

'Woman Wearing a Headscarf', Laguna Beach, California, Art Institute of Chicago
By Ruth Peabody
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Ruth Peabody' for Ruth Eaton Colburn Peabody (American, 1893-1966) and painted circa 1955. Born in Highland Park, Illinois, Ruth Peabody was taught to paint as a child by her mother, artist Elanor Colburn, and first studied sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago. The two women moved to Laguna Beach, California, in 1924, and became active in the local art scene. At their studio, Peabody sculpted fountains and memorial plaques when not teaching, privately and at Laguna Beach High School. Over the course of a long career, Ruth Peabody exhibited widely and with success including at the Panama Pacific Exhibition (1915), Art Institute of Chicago, Oakland Art Gallery (1932)and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (1931) and was the recipient of numerous prizes, medals and juried awards. In 1939, the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego presented Peabody's abstract works in a solo exhibition, the first show of its kind by a regional artist. Her work is held in private and public collections including the San Diego Museum and Orange County Museum. Exhibitions: Panama Pacific Exhibition, 1915; Laguna Beach Art Association, 1925-52; County Fair (LA), 1925, 1931; California State Fair, 1926, 1936; West Coast Arts (LA), 1927; Biltmore Salon (LA), 1927; San Diego FA Gallery, 1929, 1931, 1937, 1939; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1931; California Art Club, 1927-32; Painters & Sculptors of LA, 1930-31; Pasadena Art Institute 1931; Olympiad, LACMA, 1932; Oakland Art Gallery, 1932; Whittier Art Gallery, 1934; Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939. Collections: Laguna Beach Art Gallery (fountain & medallion of Anna Hills...
Category

1950s Post-Impressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Gouache

Halston , Vogue Magazine Illustration, Italy
By Antonio Lopez
Located in Miami, FL
Signature: Published Vogue Italy Client Halston Double Signature Signed lower right Antonio Also signed Halston Graphic remarks were written in pencil by Halston. work is elegantly m...
Category

1980s Post-Impressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

'Girl in Red', Guggenheim, LACMA, Rome, Academy of Fine Arts, Venice Biennale
By Carlo Maria Mariani
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed upper right, 'C. Mariani' for Carlo Maria Mariani (Italian, 1931-2021) and dated 1959. Framed dimensions: 22.5 x 1.5 x 17.5 inches A native of Rome, Carlo Mariani first studied there at the Academy of Fine Arts where he was influenced by the prevailing styles of Hyper-Realism and Conceptualism. In 1994, he moved to New York City where he began to paint figural landscapes in a traditional, neo-classical style. The 1990s brought Mariani wide recognition and numerous honors, as he represented Italy three times at the Venice Biennale. Additionally, in 1998, he received the prestigious Antonio Feltrinelli Award for lifetime achievement in painting. Mariani continues to be best known for his refined and painterly, Renaissance technique. He was a central figure in Rome’s avant-garde in the 1970s and is widely regarded as an influential forerunner of 1980's Postmodernism. He achieved an international reputation, beginning in the early 1980s, for his arcane and, often, controversial paintings...
Category

1950s Post-Impressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Recently Viewed

View All