Sadao Watanabe Art for Sale at Auction

b. 1913 - d. 1996

Artist Sadeo Watanabe (1913-1996) combined traditional Japanese print-making techniques with Christian iconography to create uniquely hybridized prints. As a devout Christian, Watanabe aimed to bring Christianity to Japan. He did so by depicting scenes from the Bible on large sheets of paper colored with natural dyes and pigments. His works were displayed at the Vatican and in Lyndon Johnson's White House, and although they never achieved widespread popularity in Japan, Sadeo Watanbe's artwork for sale is in demand around the globe. 

Sadao Watanabe's prints were created with the help of his wife. While she handmade paste and pigments, Watanabe created stencils using a sharp blade to cut outlines into specialty paper. Each print differed based on variations in the pigments, paper, or patterns. As an artist, Sadao Watanabe was thrilled by this element of surprise. Collectors can buy Japanese woodblock prints at auction and online to find the next conversation piece for their home.