Shōen Uemura Art Collection

Born in Kyoto in 1875, Shoen continued to paint elegant portraits of beautiful women, expressing dignified feminine beauty with delicate brushstrokes. In 1948, she was awarded the Order of Culture, becoming the first woman to receive this honor. Her refined modern portraits of beautiful women shine brilliantly in the history of Japanese art, and her pure and elegant world of painting continues to deeply impress many people today. This book traces the trajectory of Shoen's beauty, featuring approximately 66 portraits of beautiful women and 30 sketches and preliminary drawings, based on research conducted throughout Japan. Foreword: Atsushi Uemura; Contributions: Fukumi Shimura, Hidetaro Sugimoto; Commentary: Minako Kitou, Kuniko Aoyama