Biography
Yoshisuke Funasaka, born in 1939 in Gifu Prefecture, is a master of modern Japanese abstract printmaking. The son of the painter Funasaka Masayoshi, he graduated from the prestigious Tama University of Art in 1962. Originally trained as an oil painter, he became largely self-taught as a printmaker, having first experimented with linocut while working part-time at a linoleum supplier during his student years.
Funasaka's prolific body of work — well over a thousand prints — is defined by his recurring use of three signature motifs: the lemon, the hole, and a distinctive vertical mark. His compositions are almost universally abstract, executed through a variety of techniques including woodblock and silkscreen, often used in combination. In 1976, a Japanese Government fellowship allowed him to study art in the United States and London.
His work is held in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum, British Museum, Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian Institution.
Key Facts
- Active Period
- 1939
- Nationality
- 🇯🇵Japan
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
- Works Indexed
- 33
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Yoshisuke Funasaka known for?
Yoshisuke Funasaka, born in 1939 in Gifu Prefecture, is a master of modern Japanese abstract printmaking. The son of the painter Funasaka Masayoshi, he graduated from the prestigious Tama University of Art in 1962. Originally trained as an oil painter, he became largely self-taught as a printmaker, having first experimented with linocut while working part-time at a linoleum supplier during his student years.
When was Yoshisuke Funasaka active?
Yoshisuke Funasaka was active born in 1939. They were associated with the Contemporary Mokuhanga movement.
What artistic movements influenced Yoshisuke Funasaka?
Yoshisuke Funasaka's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Where can I see Yoshisuke Funasaka's original prints?
Original prints by Yoshisuke Funasaka can be found in collections including Victoria and Albert Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, robynbuntin, wbp.
Woodblock Prints by Yoshisuke Funasaka (33)
Lake Ashinoko
20/100, 1970
Woodblock print
Blue and White Space. No. 305
1972
Untitled
1974
Woodblock print
Untitled
1974
Woodblock print
Abstract
125/150, 1975
Woodblock print
My Space and My Dimension No. 419
1975
Color woodblock and screenprint on paper; edition 8/30
Work 413
1975
Woodblock print
Work 406
1975
Woodblock print
Work 413
1975
Woodblock print
Work 406
1975
Woodblock print
Lemon No. 468
1976
Color woodblock and screenprint on paper; edition 20/50
My Space and My Dimension No. 465
1976
Color woodblock and screenprint on paper; edition 21/45
Funasaka, Yoshisuke
1976
Woodblock print
799
1983
Woodblock print
832
1983
Woodblock print
833
1983
Woodblock print
941 (ed.33/40)
1986
Woodblock print
951 (ed. 35/40)
1986
Woodblock print
951 (ed. 35/40)
1986
Woodblock print
#926
1986
Woodblock print
#926
1986
Woodblock print
941 (ed.33/40)
1986
Woodblock print
933 (ed. 20/100)
1986
Woodblock print
933 (ed. 20/100)
1986
Woodblock print
965 (ed. 36/40)
1987
Woodblock print
956
1987
Woodblock print
965 (ed. 36/40)
1987
Woodblock print
979
1988
Woodblock print
985 (ed. 92/110)
1988
Woodblock print
985 (ed. 92/110)
1988
Woodblock print
Early Summer
Not dated (1989)
Woodblock print
Black night-Ginza (One Hundred Views of Tokyo, Message to the 21st Century 東京百景 21世紀へのメッセジ)
1989-99
Changing Seasons
Not dated
Woodblock print