Edutainment > Prints by Sadao Watanabe - 1913-1996

Sada Watanabe Biography
Three Wise Men, 1971
copyright Sadao Watanabe

The art of Sadao Watanabe is completely devoted to Christian themes from the Bible. As a young man he converted to Christianity. His art prints are a mix of Christian themes and traditional Japanese folk art. And Sadao Watanabe tells the story of the Bible in a Japanese environment with Jesus Christ clad in a kimono, eating sushi instead of bread and drinking sake instead of wine.

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Catalog of the 48th CWAJ Print Show

The biographical data on this page was taken from the official catalog of the 48th CWAJ print show from 2003. The annual CWAJ (College Women of Japan) print exhibitions are one of the most prestigious shows of contemporary Japanese art prints. The images of original works by Sadao Watanabe were offered in past auctions of artelino.

Career of Sadao Watanabe

Mori Yoshitoshi - Biography
Jesus Christ in a Boat, 1967
copyright Sadao Watanabe

• 1913 - Born in Tokyo.
• 1930 - Baptized a Christian.
• 1941 - Studied under Serizawa Ketsuke and Yanaga Soetsu.
• 1947 - Japanese Folk Art Museum (First Prize).
• 1948 - Kokugakai Prize.
• 1956 - Japan Print Academy Award.
• 1958 - Modern Japanese Hanga Exhibition, New York (First Prize).
• 1960 - Print Contest Prize and selection for Michener's book "The Modern Japanese Prints: An Appreciation".
• 1962 - Portland Art Museum solo exhibition.
• 1962 - Tokyo International Biennial Print Exhibition.
• 1969 - Member of Kokugakei
• 1969 - Taught Hanga technique at Linfield Collecge, Oregon.
• 1973 - Prints selected for permanent collection of Vatican Museum of Modern Religious Art.
• 1975 - Solo exhibition, Mainz, Germany.
• 1976 - Lecturing at universities in Minnesota and Ohio.
• 1981 - Honorary Ph.D. of Fine Arts, Linfield College.
• 1986 - "Biblical Prints: Sada Watanabe" published.
• 1987 - Honorary Ph.D. of Fine Arts, Valparaiso University, Indiana, USA.
• 1988 - Conference and Exhibition, China.
• 1996 - Dies January 8 in Tokyo at the age of 82.

Affiliations

Umetaro Azechi - Biography
Andrew and Simon Follow Jesus, 1972
copyright Sadao Watanabe

• Kokugakai.
• Christian Art Association.

Collections

• Japan Folk Art Museum, Toyko.
• National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
• Art Institute of Chicago.
• British Museum, London.
• Cincinnati Art Museum.
• Museum of Modern Art, New York.
• Vatican Museum of Modern Religious Art.
• White House.

Author: Dieter Wanczura
(August 2009)

Literature sources used for this article

Catalog of the 48th CWAJ Print Show, Tokyo, Japan, Printed by Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd., no ISBN number available.

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