Page 32 - Christies Japanese and Korean Art Sept 22 2020 NYC

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SUDA KOKUTA (1906-1990)
Untitled, 1961
Signed Koku to the front and Suda Kokuta and dated 1961 on reverse
Oil on canvas
23æ x 18 in. (60.4 x 45.2 cm.)
With a certificate issued by The Kokuta Suda Certification
Committee, number C-64
$10,000-15,000

One could hardly define Suda Kokuta’s artistic style. This influential
artist started his career as a figurative painter. He was quite a
successful artist then – winning various awards and joined artist
groups. However it was not until 1950s that he started to create in
an abstract manner he was known for nowadays. During the 1950s,
groups of artists shared a common interest in exerting freedom
of expression, separate from the influence of the antiquated art
associations. In 1952 Suda co-founded the Modern Art Discussion
Group (Genbi) which provided a forum for discussions on art theory
and practice amongst its members who also included Jiro Yoshihara
(1905-1972) and Shiryu Morita (1912-1998); these discussions
would later form the foundations of the Gutai group. Although
Suda did not join the group to keep his practice independent,
inevitable attention flew to him domestically and internationally. In
his later career, Suda began to focus on producing bold calligraphic
works featuring Buddhist dictums.
Buddhism spirit was always part of his creative activity. He was such an
pure yet persistent person that a priest once referred to him as Kyoojin
Kokuta, or Madman Kokuta. What on top of canvas and paper were
not only thick layers of materials, but also Kokuta’s pure heart, passion
and spiritual minds. Kokuta Suda’s works are in numerous museum
collections, including Miho Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of
Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
For a similar painting by the same artist, see Iida City Museum,
ed., Suda Kokuta ten: hotobashiru inochi gagyo 50 nen (Suda Kokuta’s
Exhibition: Commemorates 50th year anniversary of artist's career)
(Nagano: Iida City Museum, 1992), no. 78.

I am an artist. I have nothing but my work…If I don’t paint for myself,
there is no way I would paint for others. I should become my work.

– Suda Kokuta