Background
This is a noteworthy bi-lingual (Japanese-English) publication honoring the 120th anniversary of the birth of the Kobe artist Kawanishi Hide (1894-1965). We recommend this catalog not only for sôsaku hanga collectors, but especially for anyone interested in Kansai printmaking in the modern era. The book features many rare and unusual images in addition to well-known designs, and is by far the best publication on Kawanishi, with excellent photos and two substantial essays in English, plus additional texts in Japanese. All captions are bilingual (incidentally, the English translations are a step above most such efforts found in Japanese exhibition publications).
For prints by Kawanishi currently available (as of March 2018) in our online inventory, see KWN03, KWN05, and KWN08.
Description
Softcover catalog for a retrospective exhibition at the Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art (October 4 - December 23, 2014); 192 pages; 239 works in full color (prints, drawings, paintings); 5-page essay (in English and Japanese) by Kamiki Tetsuo (Professor Emeritus, Kobe University) titled "History of Prewar and Postwar Kobe: Spirit of Kobe, Printed by Kawanishi Hide"; 11-page essay (in English and Japanese) by Kanai Noriko (Curator, Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art) titled "Kawanishi Hide: The Man, the Artist and His Work"; comprehensive 14-page biography in Japanese illustrated with small photos of Kawanishi; 9-page checklist of print titles, dates, sizes (in Japanese); extensive bibliography (in Japanese)