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
- Subjects
- AbstractLandscapesNight Scenes
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Yoshisuke Funasaka was active born in 1939. They were associated with the Contemporary Mokuhanga movement.
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.
Yoshisuke Funasaka's prints frequently feature abstract, landscapes, night scenes, stencil print, silkscreen, still life.
Original prints by Yoshisuke Funasaka can be found in collections including robynbuntin, japancoll, wbp, Art Institute of Chicago.
Yoshisuke Funasaka is a contemporary printmaker contributing to the ongoing tradition of woodblock printing. Contemporary prints offer collectors an affordable entry point into Japanese printmaking. Prices range from $100 for smaller works to $1,500 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $200–$600 range. The contemporary printmaking scene is active and international, with artists exhibiting at galleries, art fairs, and print biennials worldwide.