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Clifton Karhu Art

American, 1927-2007
Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Clifton Karhu was one of the most acclaimed American woodblock artists to work in Japan. Though the son of two painters and artistically inclined from an early age, Karhu joined the military. Stationed at the American Navy base in Sasebo from 1946 to 1948, he fell in love with Japan. Upon his return to the United States, he attended the Minneapolis Art School (1950-1952) before returning to Japan in 1952, this time as a missionary of the Lutheran church. From Hiroshima to Kyoto, he and his wife sold bibles until he became disillusioned with the mission. Settling in Gifu prefecture, he returned to art, working in oils and watercolor. Karhu’s reputation grew swiftly, winning first prize at the Middle Pacific Art Group Exhibition, and held his first solo exhibition at Shin Gifu Gallery. In 1963, Karhu moved to Kyoto. Immersed in the city’s vibrant artistic community, he began a successful career in woodblock printmaking. His self-carved and self-printed works portray traditional style houses and architectural details. Deeply expressive, yet precise and geometric, Karhu's style earned him enormous popularity worldwide.When asked about his medium, he states: “In Kyoto the vertical and horizontal lines of the tile roofs and the latticed windows strike a special harmony, like something alive. In my prints of Kyoto, I always strive to express this human warmth. Since wood accounts for much of Kyoto’s beauty, it may also be the best way that beauty can be expressed - through woodblock prints.”
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Clifton Karhu Signed Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print "Kamigano"
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful, large woodblock print by American master printmaker Clifton Karhu who lived in Japan for over 50 years. Karhu's work gained great e...
Category

20th Century Japanese Showa Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Clifton Karhu " Chimoto 1968 " woodcut/woodblock print , signed pencil 22/50
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful woodcut/woodblock print by the well known , American/Japan artist Clifton Karhu , signed and dated in pencil . lower margen . The image / paper is approximate 10.75 X 9.5 i...
Category

1960s Japanese Modern Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Shrine, wood block print, Japan, yellow, brown, black, graphic, Karhu
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Shrine, wood block print, Japan, yellow, brown, black, graphic, Karhu
Category

1970s Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Driftwood

Clifton Karhu Signed Limited Ed. Japanese Woodblock Print Karasuma Street, Kyoto
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Studio City, CA
An absolutely stunning, large woodblock print by American master printmaker Clifton Karhu who lived in Japan for over 50 years. Karhu's work gai...
Category

20th Century Japanese Showa Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Clifton Karhu Signed Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Teramachi-Kyoto
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful, circular-shaped woodblock print by American master printmaker Clifton Karhu who lived in Japan for over 50 years. Karhu's work gained great esteem not only in Japan but ...
Category

1970s Japanese Showa Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Tahiti
By Clifton Karhu
Located in New York, NY
Signed, titled, and dated. Color woodblock print.
Category

1960s Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Woodcut

Clifton Karhu Original Color Woodblock, 1974, Koshihata Autumn
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Phoenix, AZ
This beautiful, limited edition original color woodblock is by the famous Showa Shin Hanga woodblock master Clifton Karhu (1927-2007). It bears the original frame and has a label on the back from a Tokyo gallery. The work is a beautiful impression with rich color. It and the frame are in excellent condition. The print measures 16 x 16 inches. The frame is 23 ½ x 23 ½ inches. It is numbered lower left as AP5 - Artist Proof #5 and is pencil signed and dated ‘74 lower right. An American of Finnish descent, Clifton Karhu was born in Minnesota in 1927. Raised together with his twin brother Raymond, Karhu was the son of painters Arne and Anna Karhu. After his graduation in 1946 he served in the military at an American Navy base in Japan. Returning to America following his military service in 1950, Karhu enrolled at the Minneapolis School of Art but quit two years later to pursue missionary work as a Lutheran minister. Karhu left the missionary work in 1958 and chose to move his new family to Gifu City, a small provincial town northwest of Kyoto, Japan where he set about returning to his art. Karhu soon found local success in 1961; obtaining first prize at the Chubu Taiheijo Bijutsu Kyokai Ten (The Middle Pacific Art Group Exhibition) and fixing his first single, professional exhibition at the Shin Gifu Gallery. In hopes of providing their three children with an international education, Karhu settled in Kyoto in 1963. The next few years proved heavily influential in Karhu’s work. Arguably forming the foundation for all his future success, Karhu found tutelage under recognized woodblock artist and gallery owner Tetsuo Yamada and colour theorist Stanton Macdonald-Wright. Responsible for shifting Karhu’s artistic doubts, Karhu proceeded to fulfill a very successful career in woodblock printing - carving his own works largely by himself. Clifton Karhu passed away in 2007 after an illustrious career that saw him viewed and celebrated as a local Kyoto celebrity, as well as having exhibited widely in many countries around the world. His woodblock prints have been collected by many famous museums including the Tokyo Modern Art...
Category

Late 20th Century Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Cake Shop, woodblock print by Clifton Karhu, red, yellow, black, framed, Japan
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Cake Shop, woodblock print by Clifton Karhu, red, yellow, black, framed, Japan hand signed and numbered
Category

1990s Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Koshihata Snow, woodblock print by Clifton Karhu, white, Japan, framed, signed
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Koshihata Snow, woodblock print by Clifton Karhu, white, Japan, framed, signed 1975 hand signed and numbered
Category

1970s Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Shoji, woodblock print by Clifton Karhu, round, framed, brown, white, yellow
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Shoji, woodblock print by Clifton Karhu, round, framed, brown, white, yellow framed woodblock print hand signed and numbered by the artist
Category

1990s Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

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Located in San Francisco, CA
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21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art

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Original Japanese Woodblock Print Circa 1900
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Early 20th Century Japanese Other Clifton Karhu Art

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Original Japanese Woodblock Print Circa 1900
Original Japanese Woodblock Print Circa 1900
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Japanese Woodblock Print Famous Views of the Sixty-Odd Provinces by Hiroshige
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1850s Japanese Edo Antique Clifton Karhu Art

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Previously Available Items
"Hong Kong Boats II" 1969 Woodblock Print by Clifton Karhu
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Hong Kong Boats II woodblock print by Clifton Karhu, 1969. #60/100, inscribed in pencil by the artist. American of Finnish heritage (1927-2007), Karhu ...
Category

1960s Japanese Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Clifton Karhu Signed Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Rooftop in Kyoto
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful, circular-shaped woodblock print by American master printmaker Clifton Karhu who lived in Japan for over 50 years. Karhu's work gained great esteem not only in Japan but ...
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1970s Japanese Showa Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

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Paper

Clifton Karhu ‘House in Takaido’ Woodblock c1976 Japan
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Oakland, CA
Beautiful large scale woodblock by acclaimed artist, Clifton Karhu titled "House in Takaido" c1976. Beautifully double mat framed in metal. Karhu was based in Kyoto for most of his v...
Category

1970s Japanese Modern Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Metal

Clifton Karhu ‘Lane in Gion’ Woodblock c1971 Japan
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Oakland, CA
Stunning large scale "Artist Proof" edition by acclaimed woodblock artist, Clifton Karhu titled "Lane in Gion" c1971. Beautifully double mat framed in metal. Karhu was based in Kyoto...
Category

1970s Japanese Modern Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Metal

Gobancho, Japanese, woodblock print, limited edition, yellow, brown, green, night
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Gobancho, Japanese, woodblock print, limited edition, yellow, brown, green,night KARHU, CLIFTON (1927 - 2007 ) Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Clifton Karhu was one of the most acclaimed American woodblock...
Category

1970s Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Woodcut

Edo Sojourn, Japanese, Wood cut, limited edition print, red, orange, back, blue
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Edo Sojourn, Japanese, Wood cut, limited edition print, red, orange, back, blue KARHU, CLIFTON (1927 - 2007 ) Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Clifton Karhu was one of the most acclaimed American woodblock...
Category

1970s Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Woodcut

Clifton Karhu Limited Edition Japanese Showa Woodblock Portraiture Print, 1966
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Studio City, CA
A whimsically designed and colored, woodblock portrait print by American master printmaker Clifton Karhu who lived in Japan for over 50 years. Karhu...
Category

1960s Japanese Showa Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Clifton Karhu Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Hong Kong II, 1969
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Studio City, CA
A uniquely designed or shaped and colored woodblock print by American master printmaker Clifton Karhu who lived in Japan for over 50 years. Karhu's work gained great esteem not only ...
Category

1960s Japanese Showa Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Clifton Karhu Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Hong Kong I, 1969
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Studio City, CA
A uniquely designed/shaped and colored woodblock print by American master printmaker Clifton Karhu who lived in Japan for over 50 years. Karhu's work gained great esteem not only in ...
Category

1960s Japanese Modern Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Clifton Karhu Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Noren Ichiriki, 1969
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Studio City, CA
A gorgeously designed and colored woodblock print by American master printmaker Clifton Karhu who lived in Japan for over 50 years. Karhu's work gained great esteem not only in Japan...
Category

1960s Japanese Showa Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Clifton Karhu Signed Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Snow at Katsura
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Studio City, CA
A gorgeously designed and colored, exceptionally large woodblock print by American master printmaker Clifton Karhu who lived in Japan for over 5...
Category

1970s Japanese Showa Vintage Clifton Karhu Art

Materials

Paper

Ashiya, Framed Woodcut by Clifton Karhu
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Clifton Karhu, American/Japanese (1927 - 2007) Title: Ashiya Year: 1978 Medium: Woodcut on Wove Paper, signed and dated in ink l.l. Size: 7 x 9.5 inches Frame Size: 17 x 19.5...
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1970s Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art

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Woodcut

Clifton Karhu art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Clifton Karhu art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Clifton Karhu in paper, driftwood, wood and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Clifton Karhu art, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of April Gornik, Hughie Lee-Smith, and Tony Bennett. Clifton Karhu art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,060 and tops out at $3,500, while the average work can sell for $3,500.

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