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.”to
10
10
6
3
2
2
2
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
Related Items
Signed Clifton Karhu (American, 1927-2007) Woodblock Print Shirakawa Rain 26/50
Located in San Francisco, CA
A fine modern Japanese style woodblock print by the American artist Clifton Karhu (American 1927-2007). This piece is titled "Shirakawa Rain" and depicts a lush landscape surrounding...
Category
1990s Japanese Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Hardwood, Paper
H 20.5 in W 26 in D 1.5 in
Yoshitoshi Mori Signed Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Stencil Print, 1969
By Yoshitoshi Mori
Located in Studio City, CA
A large, earthly toned, dramatically composed print, with just the right touch of humor, is by Japanese master printmaker Yoshitoshi Mori who was famed ...
Category
1960s Japanese Showa Vintage Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Paper
H 29 in W 27 in D 0.75 in
Carcavelos Pier Paddle (framed) - large scale photograph of summer beach scene
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
large format photograph of a summer beach scene along Portugal's Atlantic coast by iconic Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and rituals of modern leisure
Carcavelos Pier Paddle (2016)
61.25” x 81.68” / 155.60 cm x 207.46 cm
limited edition of 6 + 2AP (signed, titled and dated on certificate of authenticity)
original archival photography print with diasec (acrylic glass) face mount in contemporary white lacquered gallery frame
Each limited edition original Massimo Vitali photograph is printed in Italy under artist supervision in strictly limited edition (6 + 2AP) , signed/titled/dated upon final inspection and expertly framed at renowned European art framing facility
Disclaimer of authenticity:
although it is possible to acquire (small size) single page offset prints from the book "A Portfolio of Landscapes and Figures" (published by Steidl) in the secondary market, the artist studio strongly dissuades collectors from purchasing these single page prints outside of the context and authenticity of the complete portfolio.
About the artist:
Massimo Vitali was born in Como, Italy, in 1944.
He studied photography at the London College of Printing, in the 1970s initially working as a photojournalist, but at the beginning of the 80s a growing mistrust in the belief that photography had an absolute capacity to reproduce the subtleties of reality led to a change in his career path.
Vitali worked in cinematography for film and television before beginning a fine art practice in 1995.
Over the next two decades, he would gain recognition for his highly detailed, epic-scale panoramas — sociopolitical observations of the natural habitat of humankind at leisure. Vitali’s iconic series of beach panoramas, captured from a distance with an elevated large-format camera platform, began in the light of drastic political changes in Italy.
Drawing inspiration from Renaissance and Old Flemish masters, in which the central space is fully exploited and the urban or natural landscape becomes the background, Vitali’s photographs grasp the viewer by capturing highly detailed observances of the recreational habitats of modern civilization.
Vitali’s work has been collected in six monographs: Beach and Disco, Natural Habitats, Landscapes With Figures, Swimming Pools, Short Stories and Entering A New World.
Additionally, his work is represented in the world’s major museums, including the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, the Fond National Art Contemporaine in Paris, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Fondation Cartier in Paris and the Museo Luigi Pecci in Prato.
Massimo Vitali lives and works in Lucca (Italy) and in Berlin (Germany).
__________________________
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021
'PienoVuoto'
Forte di Belvedere, Florence
2020
'Human Constellations'
Museo Ettore Fico, Turin
2019
Massimo Vitali: Short Stories'
Mazzoleni, London
2018
'Coastal Colonies'
Spiral, Tokyo
2017
‘Disturbed Coastal Systems’
Benrubi Gallery (New York, USA)
2016
‘Landscapes with Figures’
Guido & Schoen Arte Contemponania (Genoa, Italy)
2016
‘Massimo Vitali’
Crown Gallery (Knokke-Zoute, Belgium)
2016
‘Massimo Vitali’
Ronchini Gallery (London, UK)
2015
‘New Prints’
Hilger Next (Vienna, Austria)
2014
‘Massimo Vitali’
Studio La Citta (Verona, Italy)
2014
‘Into The White’
Erich Lindenberg Art Foundation (Porza, Switzerland)
2014
‘Sempre più pallide. Towards Achrome’
Palazzo Tadea (Spilimbergo, Italy)
2013
‘Between Normalities’
Bonni Benrubi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Wood, Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper
H 61.25 in W 81.7 in D 2.55 in
Kiyoshi Saito Signed Japanese Woodblock Geisha Print Maiko Kyoto 3
By Kiyoshi Saitō
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautifully and serenely composed woodblock print by famed Japanese printmaker Kiyoshi Saito. Many consider Saito to be one of the most important, if not the most important, contem...
Category
1960s Japanese Showa Vintage Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Paper
Framed Japanese 19th Century Woodblock Print of Kabuki Actors Toyokuni III
Located in London, GB
Japanese 19th Century Woodblock Print of Kabuki Actors Toyokuni III
Original Woodcut by Toyokuni III (1786 - 1864)
Of the Kabuki actors Bando Hikosab...
Category
19th Century Japanese Antique Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Paper
H 13.39 in W 9.06 in D 0.79 in
Pan di Zucchero - large scale photo of Mediterranean beach scene (framed)
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
*temporary listing price reduction due to currency exchange rate
large format photograph by iconic Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and rituals of modern leisure
Pan di Zucchero...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Photographic Paper, Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Wood, Archival Paper
H 61.25 in W 78.49 in D 2.55 in
Original Japanese Woodblock Print Circa 1900
Located in Toronto, CA
A wonderful original Japanese woodblock print, believed to be a design for the top of a box.
Handprinted from woodblocks in Japan, circa 1900.
The simplicity of this image, along wit...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Other Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Paper
Japanese Woodblock Print Famous Views of the Sixty-Odd Provinces by Hiroshige
By Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando Hiroshige)
Located in Atlanta, GA
Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)
Series: Pictures of Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces
Number: 44 Oki Province: Takuhi Shrine
Medium: Woodblock Print
Date: 1853 (Kaei 6), 12th month
Number of Prints: 70/70 (inc. Title Page)
Format: Vertical Oban
Size (H x W): 14" x 9.25" print only.
Publisher: Koshimuraya Heisuke (Koshihei)
Blockcutter's mark: Hori Ko-Sen
Signature: Hiroshige hitsu
Additional marks: Censor's seals: aratame, Ox 12
Displayed with mat and gilt wood frame.
Reference: For an identical print, see the collection of MIA (Minneapolis Institute of Art) Accession Number P.75.51.398; MFA...
Category
1850s Japanese Edo Antique Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Paper
H 22 in W 17.5 in D 1 in
Woodcut Print Signed Itzhak Sankowsky
Located in Denton, TX
Wood cut print titled "Special Edtion" 27/45 signed by the artist.
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Plexiglass, Wood, Paper
Cala Conta Black Dog - large scale Mediterranean beach scene (artist framed)
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
large format photograph by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and rituals of modern leisure
Cala Conta...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Wood, Archival Paper
H 61.25 in W 80.95 in D 2.55 in
Antique Framed Japanese Shunga Woodblock Print of Two Women Making Love
Located in Yonkers, NY
An antique Japanese Shunga woodblock print in gilt frame depicting two women making love. Created in Japan, this woodblock print called a Shung...
Category
19th Century Japanese Antique Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Glass, Wood, Paint
Gulpiyuri - large scale landscape photograph by Massimo Vitali (artist framed)
By Massimo Vitali
Located in San Francisco, CA
large format photograph of Gulpiyuri, a flooded sinkhole with inland beach in Northern Spain, by iconic Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographica...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Plexiglass, Wood, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper
H 61.25 in W 79.11 in D 2.55 in
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 ...
Category
1970s Japanese Showa Vintage Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
Paper
H 14.75 in W 12.75 in D 0.5 in
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
H 20.5 in W 16 in D 0.5 in
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
H 17.5 in W 34 in D 0.75 in
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...
Category
1970s Contemporary Clifton Karhu Art
Materials
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.