Hasui 巴水: The Kabuki Theater 歌舞伎座 (Published First Edition) (SOLD)

Artist: Kawase Hasui 巴水
Title: The Kabuki Theater 歌舞伎座
Date: 1926

The Kabuki Theater is lit from below, its eaves glowing yellow against a deep blue evening sky. We see its reflection in the nearby canal. The Kabukiza is brightly lit and seen from across a river and partially obscured by other buildings; an interesting viewpoint, one that is unusually indirect. We see a single dark figure walking along the bank of the canal. The Kabukiza was rebuilt after a fire in 1924 and was destroyed again in WWII, before being rebuilt in 1951. This canal seems to since have been replaced by a freeway. This work would have been paired with Ito Shinsui’s work “Interval” in an experimental pairing of works by the two artists. Only five Hasui prints were published by Isetatsu, and they remain quite scarce. Provenance: Ex-collection of the late Hasui scholar Hisao Shimizu, Tokyo. This is the scarce first edition, published in 1926. We note that recent works by another publisher have come to market, but those lack the publisher's information on the bottom margin, as here. This exact print has been published in the 2007 Folk Museum of Ota City catalog "Hasui Kawase", written by Hisao Shimizu and featuring many works from his private collection which were subsequently brought to market and sold via Egenolf Gallery.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Mint
Dimensions: ôban (36.8 x 25.5 cm)
Publisher: Isetatsu
Literature: Hotei #167 See AIC, LACMA websites.
Signature: Hasui

SKU: HAC167H