Edutainment > Kusaka Kenji - born 1936

Kusaka Kenji I

Japanese Prints - Info
Twilight at Haneda Airport, 1992
copyright Kusaka Kenji

The woodblock prints by Kusaka Kenji are in such prestigious museums like the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The British Museum or The Library of Congress in Washington D.C., and the awards he received at international print exhibitions are numerous. Nevertheless, art prints by Kusaka Kenji are seldom to be found on Internet web sites.

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Eggs and Cloud Shapes

Kenji Kusaka was born in Tsuyama, Okayama prefecture. He uses the traditional woodblock printing technique for his bold compositions. In the 1960s he established for himself an international reputation by exhibiting in several of the Print Biennials in Tokyo, Lubjlana, Sao Paulo Florence and Xylon and winning important awards..

Kusaka's art prints are characterized by usually abstract or semi-abstract forms in bold colors with strong hues and intensive use of perspective and gradation. Thus he achieves the effect of "deep space". Favorite elements used by the artist are egg shapes and shapes that look like clouds.

Exhibitions and Awards

Kusaka Kenji II

Hagiwara Hideo - Biography
Clouds
copyright Kusaka Kenji

• 1964 - Kanagawa Prefectural Museum (prize).
• 1966 - Tokyo International Biennial (Tokyo National Museum prize).
• 1967 - Sao Paulo International Print Biennial, Brazil.
• 1967, 1989 - Ljubljana International Print Biennial.
• 1968 - Florence International Print Biennial, Italy.
• 1969 - Tokyo International Print Biennial.
• 1985 - Exhibition of Modern Japanese Prints Travelling thorough the USA.
• 1993 - International Print Biennial, Netherlands.

Collections

Kusaka Kenji III

Shinoda Toko - Biography
Work 70 - 14
copyright Kusaka Kenji

• Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA.
• National Museum of Modern Art, Toyko, Japan.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
• Library of Congress, Washington D.C., USA.
• Achenbach Foundation, San Francisco, USA.
• British Museum, London, United Kingdom.
• Colorado State Museum of Modern Art, Denver, USA.
• Kanagawa Prefectural Museum, Japan.

Author: Dieter Wanczura
(August 2009)

Literature sources used for this Kusaka Kenji lllbiography

• Helen Merritt and Nanako Yamada, "Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975", published by University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, ISBN 0-8248-1732-X
• Frances Blakemore, "Who is Who in Modern Japanese Prints", John Weatherhill, New York and Tokyo, 1975. ISBN 0-8348-0101-9

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