Tanaka Ryōhei (Japanese, 1933-2019), My old home, 1969, etching and aquatint; ink on paper. Gift of Sue Y.S. Kimm and Seymour Grufferman 2019.78.325

Tanaka Ryōhei: Portrait of a Home

Tanaka Ryōhei: Portrait of a Home

February 10, 2024 - November 10, 2024
Gallery 226, 227
Free Exhibition

Tanaka Ryōhei (1933–2019) was a prolific Japanese printmaker who specialized in etchings. Born and raised in Takatsuki, he grew up surrounded by the rural landscapes of western Japan, which would become the subject of his prints. This exhibition features prints by Tanaka given to Mia from the extensive collection of Sue Y. S. Kimm and Seymour Grufferman.

Tanaka began etching in his thirties after meeting Furuno Yoshio (1909–1978), the founder of the Kyoto Etchers Association. At the time, etching was far less common than woodblock-printing, the primary mode of printing in Japan for centuries. Tanaka learned the basics of etching from Furuno, soon developed his own methods through experimentation, and continued to make and print his own etchings until 2013.

 

Tanaka Ryōhei (Japanese, 1933-2019), My old home, 1969, etching and aquatint; ink on paper. Gift of Sue Y.S. Kimm and Seymour Grufferman 2019.78.325