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Iwami Reika (1927–2020)
Japan, Showa era, 1982
Woodblock print; Ink and gold leaf on paper
H x W (Image): 77.5 × 52.7 cm (30 1/2 × 20 3/4 in)
Purchase and partial gift of the Kenneth and Kiyo Hitch Collection from Kiyo Hitch with funds from the Mary Griggs Burke Endowment
S2019.3.2139
This print exemplifies Iwami Reika’s mature style, which is characterized by a monochromatic palette with gold-leaf accents and the prominent use of woodgrain patterns. Several of her signature compositional devices are also present, such as the embossed netting, butterfly motifs, circles, granular textures, and areas of intense black.
Iwami was a pioneer woman print artist, active at a time when printmaking was a male-dominated endeavor. She was a cofounder of the first women’s printmaking association, the Joryū Hanga Kyōkai (Women’s Print Association), established in 1956. The association provided a crucial exhibition platform for women printmakers until the group disbanded in 1965.
