Page 126 - 2021 March 16th Japanese and Korean Art, Christie's New York City

Fig.1 Photo of the opening reception at the New York Public Library, 1 May 1962

The Japan Ukiyo-e Museum is a privately owned art museum exhibitions of National Treasures to various museums in the
in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture. It holds over 100,000 United States; one of those exhibitions included ukiyo-e
Japanese woodblock prints, regarded as the world's largest paintings. In 1966, Sakai Tokichi (1915-1993) followed suit,
collection of this form of art. The museum was established sending a selection of his prints on a world tour to the
in 1982 by Sakai Tokichi, a member of the Sakai merchant Louvre, the Japanese Art Museum in Haifa, Israel, and
family, who have practiced business in Matsumoto for to twelve venues in the United States, such as the New York
generations. The first family members to collect ukiyo-e Public Library. Photos show him at the opening reception
were Sakai Yoshitaka (1810–1869), a paper wholesaler and at the New York Public Library with its director, Edward G.
art patron, and his son and grandson. Over the years, the Freehafer (1909-1985) (far left), and Douglas Overton (1916-
collection has grown to include contemporary prints by 1978), Managing Director of Japan Society (fig. 1), New York
Japanese artists. It is of interest that, in the postwar era, in (far right); Sakai also appears in Chicago at the home of the
1953 and again in 1966, the Japanese government sent two collector Avery Brundage (1887-1975) (fig. 2).

Fig.2 Photo of Sakai at the home of the Avery Brundage in Chicago, 18 July 1964