Kiyoshi Saito Japanese, 1907-1997

Kiyoshi Saito was born in Fukushima, Japan, and moved to Hokkaido a decade later for his father's work in the local coal mines. Shortly after, his mother passed away, and he was sent to live in a Buddhist temple. After returning to Hokkaido, he began training as a painter and spent his free time sketching and illustrating.

In 1932, Saito left Hokkaido to pursue formal art studies in Tokyo, where he discovered and was inspired by Western newspaper illustrations. He worked at the Asahi Newspaper Company while continuing his training as a painter. By 1937 and 1939, he held exhibitions showcasing both his paintings and woodblock prints, which received critical acclaim.

Saito was inspired by Western artists like Matisse and Picasso, which led to his woodblocks developing a distinctive modernist style. This style is characterized by minimalist geometric forms, a limited color palette of red, grey, and earth tones, and exposed wood grain within the prints. He comprised his works almost exclusively of stereotypical Japanese subjects such as animals, human figures, and still lifes.

He was subsequently brought into Japan's prestigious sōsaku hanga (creative print) movement by its elder members, which provided him with entree into international galleries and markets. Despite facing criticism for appealing to Western tastes, he continued to gain recognition, winning his first major award at the São Paulo Biennial in 1951. His prints have since been acquired by prominent American collectors and institutions and are part of the permanent collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, New York Public Library, and the Art Institute of Chicago.