Kaii Higashiyama was a recipient of the Order of Culture and is regarded as one of the leading Nihonga painters of the Showa era.
At Gallery Agat, we handle and offer works by the renowned Japanese painter Kaii Higashiyama.
Introduction to Kaii Higashiyama
Introduction to Kaii Higashiyama
Kaii Higashiyama was a recipient of the Order of Culture and one of the most representative Nihonga painters of the Shōwa era.
He had a deep commitment to shades of green and blue, and the distinctive blue he painted is often referred to as “Higashiyama Blue.”
Biography of Kaii Higashiyama
1908 Born in Yokohama
1911 Moved to Nishide-chō, Kobe, at the age of three
1921 Entered Hyōgo Prefectural Second Kobe Middle School
1926 Entered the Nihonga (Japanese painting) Department of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts)
1929 Submitted Autumn in the Mountain Country (destroyed in the war) to the 10th Teiten Exhibition; first submission and first acceptance
1931 Graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts; continued in the research program and studied under Tomoaki Yūki
1933 After completing the research program, went to Germany to study
1940 Married Sumi, the eldest daughter of Kotora Kawasaki
1943 Formed the Kokudo-kai (National Land Society) with Kotora Kawasaki, Kyūjin Yamamoto, and others
1947 Exhibited Afterglow at the 3rd Nitten Exhibition; received Special Selection and the work was purchased by the government
1950 Became a juror for the Nitten Exhibition, and continued to serve in this role thereafter
1956 Received the Japan Art Academy Prize for Kōkon (Twilight Light), exhibited at Nitten
1960 Completed the mural Scenes of the Four Seasons: Sun and Moon for the Tōgū Palace (now the Akasaka Palace)
1965 Elected a member of the Japan Art Academy
1969 Received the Order of Culture and was honored as a Person of Cultural Merit
1972 Painted Spring Dawn to be presented to Chairman Mao Zedong by the Japanese government upon the normalization of Japan–China relations
1999 Passed away
Prints by Kaii Higashiyama
Please note that the availability of works is subject to change.
