WOW Special Selection: Matsuzo Onuki, Artist in Museum Collection, Girl, Oil Painting Size 10, Handled by Takashimaya, Founding Member of Rikikai

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The following museum holds one work by Matsuzo Onuki:
Kyoto City Museum of Art: Children (1937)

Matsuzo Onuki is a traditional Western-style painter, recognized for his awards in the Bunten exhibition, his tutelage under Eisaku Wada, and his founding role in the Rikkai Society. While not having flashy market popularity, he is a skilled artist who supported Japanese Western-style painting from before and after the war. The fact that the Kyoto City Museum of Art holds his 1937 work Children is significant and serves as proof of his recognized art historical preservation value. His portraits, especially those of young girls and children, possess a quiet dignity, and I believe his works are currently undervalued in the market.


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Work Overview:
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Artist: Matsuzo Onuki
Title: Girl
Technique: Oil on canvas
Size: To be confirmed (small to medium, vertical composition)
Subject: Portrait of a young girl (figure painting)
Signature/Seal:
Red seal on the lower right of the canvas (see photo)
Title and artist's seal on the back
Framing: Included (gold frame, age-appropriate)



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Work Content & Art Historical Evaluation:
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Girl is a figure painting that succinctly expresses the serenity, lyricism, and inner world that Matsuzo Onuki consistently pursued.

・ While maintaining a frontal pose, the girl's gaze is slightly averted, revealing an expression that blends innocence and introspection.

・ The overall composition is rendered in soft, muted colors, and by not emphasizing the outlines, it creates a dreamlike and nostalgic atmosphere.

・ The brushwork is restrained, and the texture of the paint is delicate, with a style that emphasizes Japanese sentiment and spirituality over flashiness.

Matsuzo Onuki's portraits of young girls are characterized by:
▶ Not being decorative beauties, but rather
▶ Depicted as quietly existing beings.



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Condition:
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Canvas Condition

・ Shows natural patina due to age.

・ No significant peeling or signs of restoration are observed.

Inscriptions/Labels

・ Title and artist's name are confirmed, serving as effective provenance reinforcement.

Framing

・ Minor scratches due to age (no issues for display or sale).


Reference Video:
https://youtu.be/nucrXUd8N3w