Mocking Girl Bronze Circa 1980 - Nakamura Shinya (born In 1926) #777

Bronze with a nuanced brown/green patina. Signed. Circa 1980. After graduating from the Tokyo Normal School in 1949, he began a career as a teacher-researcher at Kagoshima University. At the same time, he sculpted and began exhibiting his works at the Nitten exhibition in 1950. Thanks to scholarships (1966 and 1969), he stayed in Paris where he was a student of Apelles Fenosa, a Spanish sculptor. In addition to his participation in the Nitten exhibitions, he has had numerous solo exhibitions: Paris 1996 (“In the wake of Fenosa: Perpetuity of the human figure, the work of Nakamura Shinya”). In 1999, he received the Order of the Sun. He held several important positions within official Japanese artistic bodies. “The Butterfly Man” UNESCO headquarters in 2009. Two major stylistic periods are distinguished in his work. The first, from the 50s to the 70s, is characterized by “leaf-shaped” figures, that is, semi-abstract figures standing out in space like shredded dead leaves. The second, from the 70s, is deeply inspired by Western sculpture. Indeed, he creates many nudes in the round, some of which evoke the works of Maillol. Our bronze is in this vein. In addition, he created several monuments such as the Philippine War Memorial on Hanase Beach, in Kagoshima Prefecture. A museum dedicated to this artist was founded in 2008 in Kagoshima. A significant collection of his works is exhibited there. Shinya Nakamura is still alive, celebrating his 99th birthday in 2025.