Product Description

7555      Kusube Yaichi (1897–1984)

A ceramic flower vessel

Signed: Ya

Japan 20^th century Shōwa period circa 1960

Dimensions: H. 35.5cm x Diam. 20cm  (14″x 8″)

Kusube Yaichi was born to a family of ceramic exporters in Kyoto and studied ceramics at the Ceramic Institute of Kyoto.

In 1920, joined by other aspiring young ceramists, he formed the innovative group Sekidosha manifesting to create ceramics as art objects. He first exhibited at the Teiten (the Imperial Fine Art Exhibition) in 1927, the year when the ‘works of art’ section was first introduced and won the Tokusen (Speciality) prize in 1933.

After serving as a judge for the Shin-Bunten (Ministry of Education New Fine Arts Exhibition) and the Nitten (The Japan Fine Art Exhibition) for many years, he became a director in 1969 and a consultant in 1974.

Kusube was honoured with the Minister of Education Award in 1951 at the 7th Nitten, the Japan Art Academy Award in 1962 and both the Mainichi Newspaper Art Award and the cultural merit award in 1972. After receiving the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the government, his solo exhibition was successfully held at the Louvre (Museé Des Art Décoratifs) in Paris in 1977. Finally, the Bunka Kunshō, or Order of Cultural Merit, was conferred upon him in 1978.

Having studied all kinds of ceramic techniques in Japan, China and Korea and utilising them for his creations, Kusube is regarded as one of the most important ceramic artists of the 20th century.