Bid Smart: Chiura Obata’s art deftly bridges Japan and California

A first edition woodblock print of Chiura Obata’s ‘Lake Basin in High Sierra’ achieved $25,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Ukiyoe Gallery Japanese Woodblock Prints and LiveAuctioneers.
A first edition woodblock print of Chiura Obata’s ‘Lake Basin in High Sierra’ achieved $25,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Ukiyoe Gallery Japanese Woodblock Prints and LiveAuctioneers.
A first edition woodblock print of Chiura Obata’s ‘Lake Basin in High Sierra’ achieved $25,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Ukiyoe Gallery Japanese Woodblock Prints and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Japanese-born painter Chiura Obata (1885–1975) came to San Francisco in 1903 at about age 18 and during seven decades of art-making became indelibly ingrained in the history of California art. His story is unique and multilayered.

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