Special Feature Vol.3
Akita Museum of Art (Hirano Masakichi Art Foundation)
Tsuguharu Foujita, Self-Portrait, 1936
Self-Portrait by Tsuguharu Foujita, oil on canvas, 1936, Collection of the Hirano Masakichi Art Foundation, ©Fondation Foujita / ADAGP, Paris & JASPAR, Tokyo, 2024 B0822
This self-portrait is set in a rented house in Yotsuya Samoncho, with tatami mats and sliding doors, exuding an Edo atmosphere. His wife Madeleine passed away suddenly in June of the same year this work was painted, and Fujita lived in this house temporarily until he moved out of the memorable Mexican-style studio in Takadanobaba where he shared a home with her and moved to Kojimachi. The painting features a square brazier, a sewing box, an indigo-dyed shop curtain with an eye-catching tea kettle pattern, and a low table filled with Japanese items such as tea bowls and chopsticks, bringing to the forefront Fujita's tastes, which he described as "downtown Edo tastes."
Although Fujita had begun to turn his attention to Japan in this way, the vaguely placed furniture, relaxed posture, and challenging gaze all seem to reflect the unstable state of mind of Fujita at the time.
Fujita painted numerous self-portraits throughout his life, with a wide variety of compositions and brushstrokes. Some self-portraits, like this one, are accompanied by detailed background depictions, while many self-portraits fill the entire canvas, such as the Self-Portrait (1928) in our museum's collection.
Karuizawa Ando Museum of Art, Tsuguharu Foujita, Self-Portrait, 1928
Self-Portrait is a work from the 1920s, when Fujita became a darling of the École de Paris. The delicate lines drawn in ink on a white background, along with his bob haircut, round glasses, small mustache, and gold earrings, bring to the forefront Fujita's striking appearance at the time. Along with his hairstyle and glasses, the tiger-striped cat peeking out from Fujita's right shoulder could also be said to be a trademark of Fujita's.
For Foujita, who sometimes drew cats instead of his signature, cats, along with his own appearance, were icons that symbolized him. The late 1920s was also a time when he produced many self-portraits, and the self-portraits he repeatedly painted helped to create the character of Foujita and establish a solid image. For Foujita, self-portraits may have served as a mirror that reflected his mood at the time, or as advertising.
Tsuguharu Foujita, oil on canvas, 1928, Karuizawa Ando Museum of Art, ©Fondation Foujita / ADAGP, Paris & JASPAR, Tokyo, 2024 B0822
About the Akita Museum of Art
The Akita Museum of Art is an art museum showcasing the Hirano Masakichi Collection. Its permanent exhibition features works from the 1930s, including "Events in Akita," a large mural by the world-renowned painter Tsuguharu Foujita depicting Akita in 1937 (Showa 12). Hirano Masakichi (1895-1989), the third generation of the Hirano family, ran a rice business in Akita City's merchant district and was one of the wealthiest families in the prefecture. From his youth, he developed an interest in ukiyo-e, antiques, and Edo-period paintings, and dedicated his life to collecting art.
Hirano first encountered Tsuguharu Foujita's work at a solo exhibition held during Foujita's temporary return to Japan in 1929 (Showa 4), and later met Foujita at the Nika Exhibition in Tokyo in 1934 (Showa 9). Following the sudden death of Foujita's wife, Madeleine, in 1936 (Showa 11), Hirano conceived of building a museum to commemorate her death, but construction of the museum was halted due to wartime circumstances.
Approximately 30 years later, in 1967 (Showa 42), Hirano established the Hirano Masakichi Museum of Art Foundation to display the art he had collected over the years, with the hope of "enriching young people." In May of the same year, the Akita Museum of Art opened, where the Hirano Masakichi Collection is exhibited, and remains so to this day. The Fujita works that form the core of the Hirano Masakichi Collection are widely known as a collection that provides a bird's-eye view of Fujita's artistic career in the 1930s.
Akita Prefectural Museum of Art 1-4-2 Nakadori, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 010-0001
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