Bookish Delight

Ex-libris Mezzotints by

Hamanishi Katsunori

The mezzotint, arguably the most difficult of printmaking techniques, was invented in 17th century Amsterdam and flourished in 18th century England. Because of its ability to convey texture and tone, it was used primarily as a way to disseminate reproductions of paintings. Hamanishi Katsunori, a world-renowned contemporary Japanese master mezzotint printmaker, has realized with unparalleled skill and elegance of expression the potential inherent in this technique and has taken the medium to a new level with the inclusion of the traditional Japanese art of gold leaf. This exhibition features bookplate prints that are usually commissioned by clients who come up with ideas that Mr. Hamanishi helps to visualize and materialize into petite gems of art. We feel privileged to show some of the prints with their copper plates.

Hamanishi Katsunori was born in Hokkaido and graduated with a degree in art from Tokai University in 1973. From 1987 to 1988, he was a visiting artist at the Cleveland Art Institute with a grant from the Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs. He had a two-person show in 2012, The Art of Darkness, with Yozo Hamaguchi at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian, and in 2013, a one-person show at The Art Institute of Chicago. In 2015, his work was included in the exhibition Kimono: A Modern History at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the same year, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the U of O invited the artist to Eugene to give a talk and demonstration in conjunction with its exhibition Expanding Frontiers: The Jack and Susy Wadsworth Collection of Postwar Japanese Prints. Permanent collections include the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Philadelphia Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, the British Museum, National Museum, Osaka, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia, amongst others.

Exhibition Dates:  November 22, 2024 – January 18, 2025

Please click on the thumbnails for larger images.