Description
From Ukiyo-e Project: "Takezawa Toji II was a popular magician with many tricks and gimmicks from the Edo period. As an entertainer, in a way an illusionist, it can be though that Bowie has a high affinity to Toji. The artwork interprets the dog from Diamond Dogs as a nine-tailed fox, and portrays Bowie as Toji spinning a top. Although the original reference photograph is black and white, the red tones were inspired by the actual outfit Bowie wore for the photoshoot" (Credits: Iconic Images / Terry O'Neil 2018, Ukiyo-e Project).
About the artist
With offices in LA and in Tokyo, UKIYO-E PROJECT is a contemporary ukiyo-e publisher founded by Yuka Mitsui in 2014 to keep ukiyo-e craftsmanship thriving by creating a new market for their traditional skills. As the words “ukiyo” and “e” mean “present” and “image” respectively, ukiyo-e naturally depicted popular trends and cultures of their times. Staying true to this philosophy, UKIYO-E PROJECT immortalizes iconic stars and landscapes of today through traditional ukiyo-e woodblock prints, which continue to receive extensive press and have been acquired by international institutions such as the British Museum, the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna (MAK), and the Miami University Libraries.