John & Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art
Reno, Nevada
The Lilley Museum of Art is located on the main campus of the University of Nevada, Reno.
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Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) (Japanese, 1786-1865)
Toyokuni III, also known as Kunisada, was born in the Honjo district of Edo as Kunisada Tsunoda. His family owned a small ferryboat service that provided some financial stability after the passing of Toyokuni's father. During his childhood he showed particular interest in painting and drawing and spent a lot of time studying actor portraits. At the age of fourteen he studied under Toyokuni, head of the Utagawa School. The Utagawa School focused on traditional subjects, such as kabuki, bijin (beautiful women), Shunga (erotic prints), and historical prints. Toyokuni's first known print dates back to 1807, and his first illustrated book in 1808. Toyokuni was known to have reached success early on, with his works considered the "star attraction" of the Utagawa School. He signed his works "Kunisada," sometimes with the studio names of Gototei and Kochoro affixed. In 1844, he adopted the name of his teacher and became Toyokuni III. Toyokuni died in 1864 in his birthplace at seventy years old. A highly popular artist of the Ukiyo-e, his reputation surpassed his contemporaries, such as Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi.
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