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Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita Signed Collotype Print Azubah The Book of Cats 1929

About the Item

A beautiful and highly coveted feline collotype print by renowned master Japanese-French artist/painter/printmaker Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita (Fujita Tsuguharu, November 27, 1886 – January 29, 1968). The work, titled "Azubah (Asuba)" is from his Book of Cats, published in New York by Covici Friede, in 1930. The book consisted of 20 full-page illustrated etched plates (with an additional suite of etchings) by Foujita. It is considered one of the top 500 most expensive rare books ever sold and is universally accepted as one of if not the most popular and desirable books on cats ever published. Foujita was born in 1886 in Ushigome, a former ward of Tokyo that is now part of the Shinjuku Ward. In his youth studied Western-style painting. In 1913, Foujita moved to Paris where he settled in Montparnasse, and quickly became part of the art scene there, which later became known as the École de Paris (School of Paris). During this time Foujita met painters Amedeo Modigliani and Chaim Soutine. He took dance classes with Raymond Duncan and visited the studios of Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera where he discovered cubism which led to his acquaintance with such notable artists as Guillaume Apollinaire, Georges Braque, Fernand Léger, Erik Satie, Kees van Dongen, Jean Metzinger, André Derain, and Pierre Bonnard. In the 1920s, Foujita reached the height of his fame in Paris. His watercolor and oil works of nudes still lives, and self-portraits were a commercial success, and always a colorful character, he became a recognizable and major figure in the vibrant Parisian nightlife scene. After years of travel, Foujita returned to France in 1950 where he would spend the rest of his life. He died in 1968. The print is signed in Japanese and English and dated (1929) within the plate as well as hand pencil signed at the lower right. Very rare in this respect. Foujita's works can be found in the Artizon Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, with more than 100 in the Hirano Masakichi Art Museum in Akita. His works are part of major French collections, such as those of the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris, and Paris' Fonds d'art contemporain. His works can also be found at the Musée d'art moderne et contemporain of Strasbourg, the Musée de Grenoble, and the Musée de la Piscine in Roubaix. In 2018, marking the 50th anniversary of his death, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum staged the biggest retrospective of his work to date. Would be a great addition to any collectors of Foujita's work or early 20th Century French Japanese artists. Clearly rare and hard to find. The print is matted (the print can be easily removed if desired). Matted dimensions: 16" high, 13.5" wide Paper sheet: 12" high, 10" wide.
  • Creator:
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)Width: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)Depth: 0.15 in (3.81 mm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1929
  • Condition:
    In very good vintage condition with light toning in the outer edge margins else no discernable flaws, tears, etc... (please see photos). Beautiful and engaging overall.
  • Seller Location:
    Studio City, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2254334295212
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