Kazuko Irie

A western-style painter

Director of the Silk Road Museum

Member of the Independent Arts Association (Dokuritsu Bijutsu Kyōkai)

Member of the Female Painters Association (Joryū Gaka Kyōkai)

 

Born in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in 1916. She showed talent early, and a still life she painted in sixth grade was dedicated to Emperor Shōwa. After graduating from Joshibi University of Art and Design in 1938, she apprenticed under the painter Takeshi Hayashi. Subsequently, she became a leader in the art world as a member of the Independent Arts Association and the Female Painters Association.

 

She was fascinated by the Silk Road, and from the 1970s onward, she consistently painted the Silk Road's natural scenery and people living in remote areas. Her painting style is novel in composition, rich in bright colors and light, establishing a unique world.

In 2013, she won the first Joshibi University of Art and Design Honor Award.

 

Books

"Mastery of Color/Continuing to Depict the Silk Road"1996/Sangokan Press

 "101-Year-Old Textbook - Fascinated by silk road" (2017 /SHUFUNOTOMO Co., Ltd.)


▶︎ Kazuko Irie Photo Album