Skip to main content

RYOKO WATANABE Art

Japanese

Ryoko Watanabe, a visionary artist from Sapporo, Japan, has carved a unique niche in the art world with her distinctive fusion of traditional Japanese culture and contemporary urban life. Her artistry reflects a deep commitment to preserving Japan's rich heritage while engaging with the rhythms of modern existence. Watanabe's primary subjects, including geishas and sumotori, are reimagined against the backdrop of everyday urban scenarios—subway stations, busy streets, and bustling cityscapes. In her compositions, Watanabe employs a striking technique of desaturating the backgrounds into monochrome, creating a sharp contrast that highlights the central figures. These traditional figures are depicted in vivid colors, making them the focal point and underscoring their timeless relevance. This deliberate use of color brings the essence of Japan's past into sharp relief against the mundane realities of contemporary life. Watanabe's art invites viewers to ponder the coexistence of Japan's historical identity within the fast-paced modern world. Her juxtaposition of old and new creates a dynamic visual narrative, blending elements of a bygone era with the present day's urban hustle. The nostalgia embedded in her work is not mere longing for the past but a celebration of the enduring spirit of Japanese culture. A passionate advocate for integrating traditional Japanese icons into contemporary settings, Watanabe plays a vital role in keeping these cultural symbols alive and relevant. Her artistic endeavors go beyond mere representation; they are an act of cultural preservation, ensuring that the rich tapestry of Japan's history remains interwoven with its modern identity. Through her art, Watanabe highlights the importance of these cultural elements in maintaining a connection to Japan's heritage. Watanabe's work is not just a visual feast; it's a narrative that resonates with both the young and old. It bridges generational gaps, reminding the youth of their cultural legacy while offering older generations a fresh perspective on their traditions. Her art is a dialogue between the past and present, a blend that is both harmonious and thought-provoking. Ryoko Watanabe's journey as an artist is characterized by her innovative approach and her commitment to cultural storytelling. Each piece she creates is a testament to her skill in weaving together different temporal strands into a cohesive and beautiful tapestry. Her work transcends the boundaries of conventional art, becoming a vital part of Japan's cultural conversation. Ryoko Watanabe revolutionizes Japanese art with her wall sculptures, where geishas and sumotori appear to emerge dynamically from the walls. These three-dimensional works break free from traditional confines, allowing these cultural icons to step into the modern world. This striking approach blurs the line between art and reality, creating an interactive experience for viewers. The illusion of movement and depth in these sculptures captivates, symbolizing the enduring relevance of these figures in contemporary life. Watanabe's technique not only demonstrates her mastery but also weaves traditional Japanese culture into the fabric of the present. Her work offers a fresh perspective on preserving cultural heritage, transforming these icons from historical relics into vibrant, living entities, making a profound statement about the vitality and accessibility of Japan's cultural legacy in the urban environment. As Watanabe continues to evolve her style, she remains a significant figure in the Japanese art scene. Her contributions are not merely artistic; they are a crucial part of the ongoing effort to celebrate and preserve Japan's cultural identity. Her art is a powerful reminder of the beauty and significance of embracing one's heritage while adapting to the changing times. Ryoko Watanabe, with her unique vision and dedication, stands as a beacon of cultural preservation and

to
16
9
4
1
1
14
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
16
15
9
9
9
8
5
4
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
16
16
6,934
3,277
2,514
1,216
13
13
3
3
Artist: RYOKO WATANABE
Sekitori : An Ivory Silent Strength
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2022, 8 ed Resin painted and varnished 59 1/10 × 70 9/10 × 19 7/10 in - 150 × 180 × 50 cm The artwork is signed by the Artist , carved with edition number and date back of the artwor...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Resin

Paparazzi2 : Whispers in the Shadows
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2009, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 57 1/2 × 70 9/10 × 2 in - 146 × 180 × 5 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Lets Sing Together : Enchanting Chorus
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2010, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 49 1/5 × 50 4/5 in - 125 × 130 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the Artist o...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Butterfly : Whispers of Transformation
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2009, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 63 × 43 3/10 in - 160 × 110 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the Artist on v...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Back to Okiya : An Onyx Silent Ballet
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2022, 8 ed Resin painted and varnished 66 9/10 × 33 1/2 × 11 4/5 in - 170 × 85 × 30 cm The artwork is signed by the Artist , carved with edition number and date back of the artwork ...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Resin

Back to Okiya : An Ivory Silent Ballet
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2022, 8 ed Resin painted and varnished 66 9/10 × 33 1/2 × 11 4/5 in - 170 × 85 × 30 cm The artwork is signed by the Artist , carved with edition number and date back of the artwork T...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Resin

Butterfly2 : Metamorphosis of Grace
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2009, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 59 1/10 × 66 9/10 in - 150 × 170 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the Artist...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Train Is Leaving Again : Transient Farewells
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2010, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 31 1/2 × 47 1/5 in - 80 × 118 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the Artist on...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Red Tokyo : Crimson Elegance
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2011, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 30 7/10 × 39 2/5 in - 78 × 100 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the Artist o...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Departing Train : Journey's Veil
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2010, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 31 1/2 × 47 1/5 in - 80 × 120 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the Artist on...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

JR : Silent Commute
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2010, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 31 1/2 × 46 1/2 in - 80 × 118 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the Artist on...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Don't Look at Me : Unseen Elegance
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2011, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 19 7/10 × 26 2/5 in - 50 × 67 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the Artist on...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Glory : Spectacle of Victory
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2008, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 55 1/10 × 47 1/5 × 1 1/5 in - 140 × 120 × 3 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Paparazzi : Limelight Shadows
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2009, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 59 1/10 × 66 9/10 in - 150 × 170 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the Artist...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

To Shinjuku : Urban Sojourn
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2011, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 70 9/10 × 42 1/2 in - 180 × 108 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of the Artist ...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Equilibrium : Bridges of Serenity
By Ryoko Watanabe
Located in PARIS, FR
2009, Unique Artwork Oil on Canvas 66 9/10 × 65 7/10 × 2 in - 170 × 167 × 5 cm The artwork and signed by the Artist on verso of the canvas & stamped with the logo of the Studio of th...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Oil

Related Items
CARIBBEAN MIRROR (One Of A kind Seashells Encrusted Round Mirror W/ Wood Frame)
By Mauro Oliveira
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
**ANNUAL SUPER SALE TIL APRIL 25th ONLY** *This Price Won't Be Repeated Again This Year - Take Advantage Of It* One of a kind seashells encrusted round mirror. The...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Glass, Resin, Wood, Acrylic

Katherine Bust, Marble Dust
By Richard MacDonald
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Katherine Bust Atelier, Marble Dust uses cast carrara marble and draws on Richard MacDonald's unique sensitivity to the experience of the dancer. Based on a classical study for the m...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Marble

KAWS Holiday Companion (KAWS brown holiday companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS 'Holiday' Companion Seoul: This figurine was published by All Rights Reserved to commemorate the debut of a large scale KAWS floating figure for Seoul’s Seokchon Lake during summer 2018. New in its original packaging. Medium: Vinyl figure. Year: 2018. Dimensions of figurine: 8.25 x 1.5 inches (can also be displayed in package, which measures 11 inches in height). Unopened; excellent condition. From a sold out/ out of print edition of unknown. More on KAWS Holiday Companion: Seokchon Lake, which is located in the South Korean capital's Songpa district, previously hosted the world-famous inflatable "Rubber Duck" on a tour of its waters in 2014. "I just wanted to do a water piece," said KAWS, "I was just thinking about being on vacation, and when you just drift in a pool and stare upwards, and that's really the beginning of the work. I feel like, in these times, we need things to help us relax." (source: CNN) KAWS is a fine artist, illustrator, painter, sculptor, product designer, and toymaker. His cartoonish style—including his best-known characters with X-ed out eyes—has its roots in his early career as a street artist, when he began replacing advertisements with his own, masterful acrylic paintings in the early 1990s. Related Categories Shepard Fairey. Damien Hirst. Pop Art. Kaws Figurative sculpture. Kaws open edition...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Resin, Vinyl

[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Three Bathers by the Water
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Three Bathers by the Water Signed in red, recto Oil on canvas 96.25 x 67 inches (244.5 x 170.2 cm) $15,000 + $900 framing This work is offered by Cla...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Canvas, Masonite, Oil

Broken Heart
By Patrick O'Reilly
Located in Belfast, GB
This piece is entitled Broken Heart. It is a large scale outdoor sculpture. The crystalline art resin. It is purposely cracked using a chemical reaction. Then O'Reilly uses bronze staples to mend the heart. He is referencing Kintsugi, a Japanese philosophy, that aims to celebrate the beauty of cracks by highlight them rather than hiding them. O'Reilly is referencing the ups and downs of the human condition. Patrick O’Reilly...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Bronze

Broken Heart
Broken Heart
H 82.68 in W 39.38 in D 27.56 in
Come Together
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gwen Wong's work is both painterly and allegorical, caught somewhere in the middle between the representational painter and the narrator. "I am inspired by t...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Heartfelt
By Patrick O'Reilly
Located in Belfast, GB
This piece is entitled Heartfelt. It is a large scale outdoor sculpture. The bronze hand holds up a beautiful cracked heart. The crystalline art resin is purposely cracked using a ch...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Bronze

Heartfelt
Heartfelt
H 82.68 in W 35.44 in D 35.44 in
Twin Bird V
By Patrice Breteau
Located in Miami, FL
Twin Bird V is a resin sculpture made by Patrice Breteau, a French contemporary artist. This piece is available in eight different colors, all resistant to ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Resin

Twin Bird V
Twin Bird V
H 37 in W 60 in D 24 in
EveryThing (Flag) 2015
By Doug Aitken
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Doug Aitken EveryThing, 2015 Mirror, Fibreglass & resin 92.5 x 119.5 x 12.5 inches Edition of 4 plus 2 AP's Provenance: NB: Available on sale
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Mirror, Resin, Fiberglass

EveryThing (Flag) 2015
EveryThing (Flag) 2015
H 97.5 in W 119.5 in D 12.5 in
Dragoon
By Richard Orlinski
Located in Porto, 13
Dragoon The kindly yet scary-looking dragon by Richard Orlinski is rooted in Chinese folklore. It has a crest on the top of its head so it can fly and master the wind and rain. It sy...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Resin

Dragoon
Dragoon
H 63 in W 136.23 in D 53.94 in
Golkonda
By Harald Schmitz-Schmelzer
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Harald Schmitz-Schmelzer’s cast acrylic works bridge the gap between painting, sculpture and science. The artist’s studio, like an experimental lab, is ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Resin, Wood

Rapsodia a Colori
By Michelangelo Bastiani
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Michelangelo Bastiani (1979, Italy) uses technology in his representations of water to illustrate its dynamic nature and facilitate a direct connection and tangible interaction with ...
Category

2010s Contemporary RYOKO WATANABE Art

Materials

Glass, Resin

Rapsodia a Colori
Rapsodia a Colori
H 94.49 in W 165.36 in D 2.76 in

Ryoko Watanabe art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic RYOKO WATANABE art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by RYOKO WATANABE in oil paint, paint, organic material and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large RYOKO WATANABE art, so small editions measuring 27 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of JIMMY YOSHIMURA, Akihiko Sugiura, and AYA TOSHIKAWA. RYOKO WATANABE art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,196 and tops out at $35,576, while the average work can sell for $6,808.

Artists Similar to RYOKO WATANABE

Recently Viewed

View All