Takehiko Sugawara

Born in Tokyo in 1962, Sugawara majored in Japanese traditional painting at Tama Art University. With his first encounter with an old cherry tree called Jindaizakura in 1996 in Yamanashi prefecture, he has been devoted himself to painting nature since then. Recently, he painted cherry blossom trees such as Usuzumizakura in Gifu, Miharu Takizakura in Fukushima, Garyu no Matsu in Yamagata and the waterfall called Kirifuri no Taki in Tochigi. The dynamism, emitted from the trunks of such old trees, surprised him and let him paint them vigorously in a highly original way. On the one hand he uses the traditional technique of Japanese painting such as back coloring with Echizen washi paper and ink, on the other hand he explores the new methods like make the mass of burnt pine ink crack naturally, bringing his works his own magnificent view of the world. In 2012, he held his first solo exhibition at our Paris gallery, and ever since its huge success, his artwork has been on view worldwide. His works are displayed in a number of luxurious hotels and public buildings such as The Symphony Hall in Osaka.