Terms and conditions of use
Tea and coffee salon, Sabō
1939
Medium
ink, colour, paper, lacquer
Measurements
186.0 × 180.5 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by Alan and Mavourneen Cowen, The Myer Foundation and the NGV Supporters of Asian Art, 2015
Gallery location
Level 1, NGV International
About this work
Swept up in the energy of Tokyo’s burgeoning metropolis in the 1920s and 30s, young artist Saeki Shunkō trained in traditional Japanese painting and became a graphic designer at the prestigious Shirokiya department store. Shunkō was skilled at depicting human tension within a setting of modernity and comfort. The interior of this cafe – with Western fittings, soft chairs, a coffee table magazine and imported ceramic jars – represents the new lifestyle, while also representing tradition through the blue-and-white imari plate on the wall. In this sophisticated interior, one can imagine Shunkō, a young, successful painter, relaxing with fellow artists and modern thinkers. Tragically his promising career was cut short when he died of an illness at the age of thirty-three.