$500–$4,000. Common subjects: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: As an early sosaku-hanga pioneer, Kawakami's prints have historical significance. His distinctive graphic style is collected.
"Scenes of Last Tokyo" renders the city of Tokyo as a city of memory — the "last Tokyo" suggesting either a Tokyo at the end of its prewar existence (before wartime bombing transformed it) or a Tokyo disappearing under the pressure of postwar modernization. Kawakami, who produced his "Recollections of Tokyo" series in 1945 as the city was being bombed, had a particular sensitivity to Tokyo as a city that could be lost. His simplified, storybook rendering of its streets, shops, and cultural landmarks becomes an act of documentation as much as art.
Woodblock print
1928
Color lithograph
1930
Color lithograph
1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Scenes of Last Tokyo was created by Sumio Kawakami (川上澄生).
Scenes of Last Tokyo depicts urban scenes, landscapes, and travel scenes, set at Tokyo.
