Jun-ichiro Sekino (1914-1988) Japanese Woodblock. "Girls in Mexico" limited edition un-ichiro Sekino (1914-1988) was one of the renowned printmakers in Japan and had bright prospects during his final years before he died of lung cancer at age 74. The Imperial Household Agency awarded him with two Medals of Honor, Shijuhosho (1981) and Kyokujitsu Shojusho (1987), for his cultural contributions and frequently purchased his woodblock prints to be used as gifts to foreign dignitaries when members of the Imperial family traveled abroad to promote Japan's friendly international relations. The most influential event for his career took place in 1958, however, and it was a year-long journey through the U.S. coordinated by the Japan Society of New York and sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. His job was to introduce the uniquely Japanese art medium of color woodblock printmaking to American artists and art institutions. He combined the journey with his own tour through various cities in Mexico and Europe and produced a large number of artwork based on the experience. The batch of the prints helped him dramatically increase his international exposure and receive awards from such events as Asia-Africa International Exhibition, Cairo, and the 31st Northwest International Print Exhibition, Seattle, in 1960, and the 4th International Print Exhibition, Ljubliana, Yugoslavia, in 1961. Sekino's prints are currently in the permanent collections of Ashmolean Museum of Oxford, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the British Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the Portland Art Museum, and Royal Ontario Museum, among others. Overall Size: 29 3/8 x 23 3/8 in. Sight Size: 22 x 16 1/4 in. #1147 Location E HIGH