signed and titled in English and dated 1964 on the reverse, framed

Galleria del Naviglio, Milan
Private European Collection
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in very good condition with minor surface accretion. Please note that it was not examined out of its frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This work is accompanied with an artwork registration card issued by the artist's studio

Post-war Japanese art from a distinguished Italian collection

In the aftermath of World War II, parallel aesthetic revolutions occurred in Italy and Japan that played out in dynamically interconnected ways. In the late 1950s, works from Gutai were shown in Turin, while Lucio Fontana and Giuseppe Capogrossi were featured in a two-men exhibition at the Gutai Pinacotheca in Osaka, Japan. In June 1966, Kusama Yayoi installed 1,500 silver balls on the lawn outside the Italian Pavilion at the 33rd Venice Biennale—an unauthorized performance that earned her first international badge of succès de scandale. Albeit never being officially invited to exhibit, Kusama received moral and financial support from the Fontana; earlier that year, Kusama had spent two months working in Fontana’s studio preparing for the Driving Image Show at Galleria d’Arte del Naviglio in Milan. The list goes on, with such events documenting the rich interactions, cultural exchanges and artistic parallels that occurred between Japan and Italy in the post-war era—two great countries with long cultural lineages that were recovering from turbulent war-time experiences.

Sotheby’s is delighted to present this distinguished Italian collection of early contemporary Japanese art (Lots 896 to 914)—itself a further testimony of the deep artistic affinities between the two nations. At once personal and historical, the present collection of both established and lesser-known artists offers a fresh lens through which to investigate post-war creation in Japan. The selection reveals a penchant for using everyday objects in their art, displaying a torrent of innovation that responded creatively to emotional and metaphysical scars from the war. The body of work presented in this sale speaks to new-found freedom of expression in Japan and its identification and appreciation across continents, constituting an uplifting slice of intercultural histoওry.