The auction of Japanese and Korean art held by Christie's on March 16 totaled $9.7 million and broke the previous record for Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. Hokusai was a leading master of ukiyo-e (traditional Japanese art depicting detailed and expansive scenes of Japanese life), who was best known for his series of prints titled Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.
The most famous image in the series, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, was created around 1829-1833 and is among the most reproduced images in popular culture. Hokusai renewed the language of Japanese prints through his use of Prussian blue color and a composition synthesizing traditional Japanese style and Western perspective. The Great Wave was an immediate success in Japan and then in Europe, where it inspired the Impressionists and launched the movement of Japonism.
Presented at Christie's with an estimate between $150,000-200,000, the woodblock print of The Great Wave sold for $1.59 million, setting the new world record for the artist. The work, dated late 1833, was one of 25 Hokusai prints on sale, which included another version of The Great Wave (sold for $437,500) and Red Fuji (sold for $250,000).
Related: Ukiyo-e: The Art of Japan
Christie's noted global participation in the sale, with registered bidders in 35 countries and 51% of lots sold to online buyers. Japanese and Korean art specialist Takaaki Murakami commented, “The outstanding results and global participation in today's auction demonstrate the strength of the market. Our clients continue to seek out high-level works for their collections and seem to be increasingly comfortable bidding and transacting remotely."
Katsushika Hokusai, along with Utawaga Hiroshige, was one of the greatest Japanese artists in history. In his 70-year career, Hokusai produced 3,000 prints, illustrations for more than 200 books, hundreds of drawings and more than 1,000 paintings. In part thanks to him the subjects traditionally associated with the school of ukiyo-e, such as the representations of popular actors and courtesans, evolved into other themes, such as landscapes and cityscapes. Hokusai made it his mission to create images with universal appeal, imbued with a powerful spirituality, mixing subjects from real and imaginary worlds.
Related: 103 "Lost" Hokusai Drawings Join The British Museum
Christie's also set Ito Jakuchu's new record with the hanging scroll Pair of Cranes and the Rising Sun, sold at five times its low estimate for $1.59 million.
