Tsuguharu Foujita

November 27, 1886 (age 81)

Tokyo, Japan

In 1913 Fujita went to Paris, where he immediately befriended many of the leading painters of the day, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Rousseau, Juan Gris, Henri Matisse, and Chaim Soutine. He had a particularly close friendship with the renowned Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. Tsuguharu Fujita displayed an affection for white and pale shades like lavender and gray. He walked a fine line between Japanese and European art and was mainly inspired by women and cats. He exhibited his artworks for the first time in Paris in 1917. His nude portrait of the model Kiki de Montparnasse set against an ivory background entitled Reclining Nude with Toile de Jouy, presented at the 1922 Salon d’Automne, was a success. Tsuguharu became an author of a number of portraits, self-portraits, city scenes, nudes as well as drawings and paintings of cats. He also published A Book of Cats (1930), which consisted of 20 drawings of cats and became a popular and valuable art book. In 1931-1932 Fujita travelled throughout Latin America, visiting Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, and Argentina, and had a major exhibition of his work in Buenos Aires. During the Second World War, he returned to Japan, where he served as a war artist for the Japanese government. Following the war, Tsuguharu Fujita again left Japan for France and stayed there for the rest of his life, eventually becoming its citizen in 1955. His last major work was created when he was 80. He produced the design and decoration of the Foujita Chapel in the gardens of the Mumm champagne house in Reims, France, which the artist completed in 1966, not long before his death.

Tsuguharu Foujita Edit Profile

also known as Léonard Tsugouharu Foujita, 藤田嗣治

artist printmaker

Background

Foujita was born in Tokyo, Japan, on November 27, 1886.

Education

Tsuguharu Foujita completed a local secondary school. He intended to go to France and received his education there, but on the advice of Mori Ōgai, his father's senpai military physician, he decided to study western art in Japan. In 1910 Fujita graduated from what is now the Tokyo University of the Arts.

Career

In 1913 Fujita went to Paris, where he immediately befriended many of the leading painters of the day, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Rousseau, Juan Gris, Henri Matisse, and Chaim Soutine. He had a particularly close friendship with the renowned Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani.

Tsuguharu Fujita displayed an affection for white and pale shades like lavender and gray. He walked a fine line between Japanese and European art and was mainly inspired by women and cats. He exhibited his artworks for the first time in Paris in 1917. His nude portrait of the model Kiki de Montparnasse set against an ivory background entitled Reclining Nude with Toile de Jouy, presented at the 1922 Salon d’Automne, was a success.

Tsuguharu became an author of a number of portraits, self-portraits, city scenes, nudes as well as drawings and paintings of cats. He also published A Book of Cats (1930), which consisted of 20 drawings of cats and became a popular and valuable art book.

In 1931-1932 Fujita travelled throughout Latin America, visiting Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, and Argentina, and had a major exhibition of his work in Buenos Aires. During the Second World War, he returned to Japan, where he served as a war artist for the Japanese government. Following the war, Tsuguharu Fujita again left Japan for France and stayed there for the rest of his life, eventually becoming its citizen in 1955.

His last major work was created when he was 80. He produced the design and decoration of the Foujita Chapel in the gardens of the Mumm champagne house in Reims, France, which the artist completed in 1966, not long before his death.

Achievements

Tsuguharu Fujita has been called "the most important Japanese artist working in the West during the 20th century." The amount of work that he produced throughout his life was prolific. During one of his most successful exhibits in Buenos Aires, Argentina, about 60,000 people attended his exhibition, and more than 10,000 queued up for his autograph.

By 1925, he had received the Belgian Order of Leopold and the French government awarded him the Legion of Honour.

Today, Foujita's works can be found in numerous public and private collections around the world, including the Bridgestone Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Argentina.

Works

Marchande de Violette Marchande de Violette

$Untitled from \'Les Enfants\' Untitled from \'Les Enfants\'$ $Caf\u00E9 Caf\u00E9$ A Book of Cats A Book of Cats

Cat on the Alert (A Book of Cats) Cat on the Alert (A Book of Cats)

$Jeune fille aux \u00E9paules nues Jeune fille aux \u00E9paules nues$ Saint Philip Saint Philip

Jeune fille en jupe brune Jeune fille en jupe brune

$\u5922 (Dream) \u5922 (Dream)$ A Book of Cats A Book of Cats

Battle on the Bank of the Halha Battle on the Bank of the Halha

Reclining Nude with a Cat Reclining Nude with a Cat

$Mon int\u00E9rieur \u00E0 Paris Mon int\u00E9rieur \u00E0 Paris$ Self-portrait Self-portrait

$Porte d\'Arcueil Porte d\'Arcueil$ Two women Two women

Burning of Nanchang Airfield Burning of Nanchang Airfield

$Autoportrait dans l\'atelier Autoportrait dans l\'atelier$ Breton Woman Breton Woman

Self-Portrait in the Studio Self-Portrait in the Studio

Le quai aux fleurs, Notre-Dame Le quai aux fleurs, Notre-Dame

LIttle Girl with Doll LIttle Girl with Doll

Self Porttrait with a cat Self Porttrait with a cat

A girl whose eyes are blue A girl whose eyes are blue

$Femme en pri\u00E8re Femme en pri\u00E8re$ Little Girl with Red Bow by the Fireplace Little Girl with Red Bow by the Fireplace

$T\u00EAte de chat tigr\u00E9 T\u00EAte de chat tigr\u00E9$ Nu Nu

Les deux amies, brune et blonde Les deux amies, brune et blonde

$De\u00E9sse de la neige De\u00E9sse de la neige$ Fox-seller Fox-seller

Interior, My Wife and Myself Interior, My Wife and Myself

Trois roses dans un vase Trois roses dans un vase

$Jeune fille \u00E0 la cage aux oiseaux Jeune fille \u00E0 la cage aux oiseaux$ Brothel in Montparnasse Brothel in Montparnasse

$La Vierge et l\'enfant La Vierge et l\'enfant$ Little Chevalier Little Chevalier

Portrait of a Little Girl Portrait of a Little Girl

$Un bistrot \u00E0 Saint-Germain-des-Pr\u00E9s Un bistrot \u00E0 Saint-Germain-des-Pr\u00E9s$ Young Woman on a Pink Canape Young Woman on a Pink Canape

$Jeune femme au b\u00E9ret Jeune femme au b\u00E9ret$ Readiness Readiness

$L\'amiti\u00E9 L\'amiti\u00E9$ Woman and man Woman and man

$Fillette \u00E0 la poup\u00E9e japonaise Fillette \u00E0 la poup\u00E9e japonaise$ Deposition Deposition

Birth Of Jesus Christ Birth Of Jesus Christ

Le boulevard Edgar-Quinet Le boulevard Edgar-Quinet

Nature morte aux oiseaux Nature morte aux oiseaux

Deux femmes au torse nu Deux femmes au torse nu

$Mon int\u00E9rieur, Paris (Nature morte \u00E0 l\'accord\u00E9on) Mon int\u00E9rieur, Paris (Nature morte \u00E0 l\'accord\u00E9on)$ Young Girl With Potatoes Young Girl With Potatoes

Young Girl With Potatoes Young Girl With Potatoes

Leonard Foujita making his own clothes Leonard Foujita making his own clothes

Profil de jeune Femme Profil de jeune Femme

Young Woman with a Mirror Young Woman with a Mirror

La petite fille au bol La petite fille au bol

Mother and Two Children Mother and Two Children

Portrait de Madame Y Portrait de Madame Y

Suicidal Attu Island Suicidal Attu Island

$Les divertissements d\'Eros Les divertissements d\'Eros$ Les Deux Soeurs Les Deux Soeurs

Self Portrait with Cat Self Portrait with Cat

Les deux enfants portant le pain et le lait Les deux enfants portant le pain et le lait

White dog, dark circle around one eye White dog, dark circle around one eye

painting
- Femme se coiffant
- Harlem Cotton Club
- The Blinds
- Longchamp
- Marchande de Violette
- Maxim
- Reclining Nude
- Untitled
- Untitled from 'Les Enfants'
- Café
- A Book of Cats
- Famille
- Untitled
- Cat on the Alert (A Book of Cats)
- Dream of the Opera
- Japanese Doll
- Sleeping Madeleine
- White Cat
- Self-Portrait
- Cyclamens
- Jeune fille aux épaules nues
- Saint Philip
- Fighters
- Jeune fille en jupe brune
- Charpentier
- Deux Enfants
- Profil de femme
- Untitled
- 夢 (Dream)
- A Book of Cats
- Battle on the Bank of the Halha
- Two sisters
- Reclining Nude with a Cat
- Cat fight
- Male Portrait
- Adoration
- A Book of Cats
- Corneille
- Birthday
- Mon intérieur à Paris
- Self-portrait
- unknown6rc6
- Untitled
- Porte d'Arcueil
- Two women
- Woman and Cat
- CHRIST EN CROIX
- Burning of Nanchang Airfield
- Autoportrait dans l'atelier
- Breton Woman
- A Book of Cats
- Self-Portrait in the Studio
- Le quai aux fleurs, Notre-Dame
- Untitled
- Maligny
- LIttle Girl with Doll
- Self Portrait
- Self Porttrait with a cat
- Nude With a Cat
- Girl
- A girl whose eyes are blue
- Femme en prière
- Little Girl with Red Bow by the Fireplace
- Portrait de Femme
- Space
- Tête de chat tigré
- Nu
- A Book of Cats
- Les deux amies, brune et blonde
- Nude
- Untitled
- Deésse de la neige
- Fox-seller
- Champs Elysees
- Normandie
- Portrait of a Young Woman in Profile
- Interior, My Wife and Myself
- Trois roses dans un vase
- Outskirts
- Mallarme
- Girl with Braid
- A Book of Cats
- Girls with a Doll
- The Way to Calvary
- Club El Patio
- Poster
- Cosmetics
- Woman and Cat
- Jeune Fille
- Jeune fille à la cage aux oiseaux
- Brothel in Montparnasse
- Self Portrait
- A Book of Cats
- Mechanic Age
- Forcing into Hankou
- Canary
- La Vierge et l'enfant
- Little Chevalier
- Self Portrait
- My Dream
- Portrait of a Little Girl
- At the Kitchen
- Woman and Child
- Un bistrot à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
- Young Woman on a Pink Canape
- Jeune femme au béret
- Readiness
- L'amitié
- Woman and man
- Fillette à la poupée japonaise
- Deposition
- Profile
- The Lion Tamer
- Nu assis
- Cat and Girl
- Children and Doll
- Self Porttrait with a cat
- Birth Of Jesus Christ
- Ternes
- La Vie
- Dancers
- Portrait of a Woman
- Two Little Friends
- Couturier Cat
- Le boulevard Edgar-Quinet
- Nature morte aux oiseaux
- Deux femmes au torse nu
- Mon intérieur, Paris (Nature morte à l'accordéon)
- Young Girl With Potatoes
- Three Ballerinas
- Les deux chats
- Angels and sirens
- Leonard Foujita making his own clothes
- Profil de jeune Femme
- Girl with a Hat
- Paleroyal
- Young Woman with a Mirror
- Untitled
- Self Portrait
- La petite fille au bol
- Nude
- Juanito
- Elise
- Mother and Two Children
- Jeune femme assise
- Portrait de Madame Y
- Nude
- Suicidal Attu Island
- Nativity
- Les divertissements d'Eros
- Les Deux Soeurs
- Self Portrait with Cat
- Franck
- Les deux enfants portant le pain et le lait
- Vendome
- White dog, dark circle around one eye
- Friends
- Girl in the park
- Les Deux Amis
- Eve

Religion

Foujita converted to Catholicism in 1959. He adopted the Christian name Léonard, in homage to Leonardo da Vinci.

Personality

Tsuguharu Foujita was known for his eccentric personality. He developed a colourful reputation through his cropped hairstyle, hoop earrings, and glasses. But beyond the public image, the artist took his work very seriously.

Connections

Tsuguharu Foujita's first marriage was to Tomiko Tokita. She was a teacher in a girls' school in Chiba Prefecture. The two married in 1912. However, they divorced in 1916.

In March 1917, Foujita met a young lady named Fernande Barrey in the Café de la Rotonde. At first, she ignored Foujita's efforts to engage her in conversation. But the next morning, Foujita showed up at her place with a blue corsage he had made overnight. Fernande Barrey was intrigued and offered him a pot of tea. They got married in 13 days.

Tsuguharu Foujita got acquainted with Lucie Badoul, whom he called Youki, or "Rose Snow", in 1921. She eventually became his third wife. The couple broke up when she became the lover, and later the wife of the surrealist poet Robert Desnos.

Spouse:: Tomiko Tokita
Spouse:: Fernande Barrey
Spouse:: Lucie Badoul

References

Art Masters # 52: Tsuguharu Foujita
2017
Tsuguharu Foujita This book systematically and comprehensively tells the artist's life experiences from studying in Paris to being famous, from serving for his country in the ware to converting to Catholicism after the war.
2014
Artists of World War II This volume features selected biographies of artists and detailed discussions of war-era art worlds in China, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, Spain, and the United States.
2005
Japan Encyclopedia This richly detailed yet concise encyclopedia is a guide to the full range of Japanese history and civilization, from the dawn of its prehistory to today, providing clear and accessible information on society and institutions, commerce and industry, sciences, sports, and politics, with particular emphasis on religion, material culture, and the arts.
2002

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