Kiyoshi Saito1907~1997 斎藤清

Saito Kiyoshi (1907-1997) was a Japanese woodblock print artist born in Aizubange, Fukushima Prefecture, who was named a Person of Cultural Merit in 1995. After moving to Tokyo in 1931, he taught himself oil painting and printmaking, debuting at the Japan Print Association exhibition in 1936. Combining ukiyo-e techniques with modern Western design, he became internationally celebrated for his snowy landscape series "Winter in Aizu." His print "Steady Gaze (Flower)" won the In-Sao-Paulo Japanese Prize at the first Sao Paulo Biennale in 1951, establishing him as one of the leading figures of postwar Japanese sosaku-hanga. He died on November 14, 1997, and the Yanaizu Town Saito Kiyoshi Museum was opened in his honor.