Lot 810: Kenji Yoshida

Kenji Yoshida, Japanese b.1924- La Vie 1992; oil on canvas with gold, silver and copper leaf, signed in English and Japanese and dated 92, titled on the canvas reverse, 46x55cm
Note: Kenji Yoshida studied art under the great Hayashi Kiyoshi and also Furukido Masaru, before those studies were interrupted by the war.
In 1964, Yoshida moved to Paris where he lived until 2009. He trained with the renowned English artist Stanley Hayter, and worked for many years at Hayter's well-known studio Atelier 17. In 1993 the quality of Yoshida's work was recognised when he was honoured to be the first living artist ever to be given a solo exhibition at the Japanese Galleries of the British Museum. During the Festival of Canterbury 2004, his octagonal installation, Sei-Mei, (Life-Force) could be seen in Canterbury Cathedral. In 2006 the Chateau de Blois, in the Loire Valley held a major solo exhibition of his work. The October Gallery has shown regular exhibitions of Yoshida's work since the early 90s, the most recent one being in 2007.
Yoshida's canvases owe much to the traditional screens of his native Japan in their use of precious metals, gold, silver, copper and platinum.