Japanese art is the highlight in the 1,200 sq ft historic Sidney Ripley mansion in New York City on the Upper Eastside. The new location of the Onishi Gallery may be small, but it’s outsized examples of fine Japanese art and craftsmanship more than fills the space. Exhibition The Spirit of Noto: Urushi Artists of Wajima is curated by gallery owner Nana Onishi. It features masterpieces by three extraordinary Japanese artisans and other outstanding local artists, all working with urushi, the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree. The Masters Komorie Kunie, Yamagishi Kazuo and Mae Fumio are considered National Treasures, who continue to honor the past and strength of Wajima’s centuries-old traditions of lacquer art.
Featured image: Urade Katsuhiko: Kanshitsu Box with Design in Maki-e, “Early Summer”, 2017. Dry lacquer, metal powder, mother-of-pearl and pigment.
Onihira Keiji: Box with Design in Raised Maki-e, “Soaring Aurora,” 2020. Dry lacqaer and wood (base), gold -silver alloy, gold, abalone, South Sea abalone and pigment.Komorie Kunie: Small Box in Ajiro Weave with Tamenuri Urushi, 2022, Paulownia, hemp cloth, bamboo, urushi.Mizushiri Satomi: (top to bottom) Box with Design in Maki-e, Waves, 2018. Paulownia, metal powder, pigment, eggshell. Box with Flower-Pattern Design in Maki-e, 2023. Zelkova, metal powder, mother-of-pearl. Chahira Issai: Tea Caddy, “Sunflowers and Rooster”, 2024. Japanese Cherry Birch, gold, mother-of-pearl and pigment.Inside cover of Chahira Issai’s Tea Caddy.Shiota Junji: Kanshitsu Tray, Wave Pattern, 2002, Dry lacquer.Mizushiri Seiho: (left to right) Box with Design in Chinkin, Floral Arabesque, 2009. Paulownia, metal powder. Box with Design in Chinkin and Inlay, Waves, 2024. Paulownia, metal powder.
Onishi Gallery is located at 16 East 79th Street on the ground floor of the historic and landmarked Sidney Ripley Mansion. Exhibition runs through October 26, 2024. Telephone: 212 695 8035
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