Toshio Bando (1895-1973) The Kikus

Toshio BANDO (1895-1973) Kikus or Chrysanthemum FlowersPastel signed lower right70 x 58 cmMagnificent pastel by the Japanese artist Toshio BANDO, this bouquet of Kikus with sparkling and vibrant colors, a model of Japanese floral art. (The chrysanthemum is the symbol of the imperial family and is depicted on the Imperial Seal of Japan, government-issued passports, and the 50-yen coin. This beautiful plant also symbolizes longevity and rejuvenation.) Toshio BANDO was a Japanese painter and engraver born on July 16, 1895, in Tokushima (Shikoku Island) and died in Boulogne-Billancourt on March 1, 1973. He came from a family of Samurai, orphaned at the age of seven, and was raised by his grandmother. His father worked in Osaka in maritime transport. He trained in Tokyo with Fujishima Takeji, who led him to his first group exhibition in Tokyo in 1918. He was passionate about Fauvism, Cubism, and Parisian artistic life. He arrived in France in 1922 and became friends with Foujita. He joined the school of Montparnasse and will participate from 1922 in the Salon d'Automne then in the Foujita and the Japanese painters exhibition. Life far from Paris allows him to welcome animals that he paints at leisure. He will return to live in Paris to meet his friend Foujita, Man Ray and Kiki de Montparnasse. Museums: France: Auxerre, Avignon, Paris (Cernushi), Japan: Kobe, Tokushima