Takahashi Rikio

Takahashi Rikio (高橋力雄, 1917–1998) was a Japanese abstract printmaker and son of a Nihonga painter who became one of the most important pupils of the seminal modern printmaker Onchi Koshiro between 1949 and 1955. He specialized in depicting the forms of Japanese gardens, especially the classic gardens of Kyoto, through a distinctive abstract vocabulary that made him a pioneer of non-representational woodblock printing during Japan's postwar internationalization. He further studied at the California Institute of Arts and worked with master printer Ken Tyler at the Gemini print studio in Los Angeles.

Takahashi Rikio was active from 1917 to 1998. They were associated with the Sōsaku-hanga movement.

Takahashi Rikio's work was shaped by the Sōsaku-hanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Sōsaku-hanga: ## What is sōsaku-hanga? Sōsaku-hanga (創作版画, "creative prints") was a twentieth-century Japanese print movement defined by a single commitment: the artist must design, carve, and print every work alone.

Takahashi Rikio's prints frequently feature abstract, landscapes, urban scenes, summer, seascapes, temples & shrines.

Original prints by Takahashi Rikio can be found in collections including Minneapolis Institute of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, japancoll.

Takahashi Rikio (1917-1998) was a postwar sosaku-hanga printmaker who produced a substantial body of signed limited-edition woodblock prints. His work is representative of the postwar Japanese print movement that gained international recognition through the São Paulo and Venice Biennales. Most prints sell in the 00-,200 range. Early career works and prints with strong exhibition history can exceed ,000. A solid entry in the broader postwar Japanese printmaking market.