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Tomonori Toyofuku — Untitled
Tomonori Toyofuku

Untitled

1969

This untitled wooden sculpture by Tomonori Toyofuku, created in 1969, presents a commanding rectangular panel densely populated with oval apertures arranged in rhythmic, overlapping rows. The surface carries a richly textured patina of gold and black, achieved through painting and what appears to be a craquelure effect that lends the work an ancient, almost archaeological quality. Each oval opening is framed by a gently concave recess, creating a sense of depth and dimensionality that transforms what might otherwise read as a flat relief into something genuinely spatial and immersive. Mounted on a sleek black metal stand, the sculpture hovers at eye level, inviting close inspection from multiple angles as light plays across its undulating surfaces. Toyofuku, a Japanese sculptor who spent much of his career in Italy, occupied a distinctive position within the international art world of the postwar decades. Deeply influenced by his engagement with European informalism and Arte Povera, he nonetheless maintained a sensibility rooted in Japanese aesthetic traditions, particularly a concern with the tension between material presence and negative space. This work exemplifies those preoccupations beautifully. The repeating ovals, uniform yet subtly varied in their curvature and depth, create a meditative visual rhythm that rewards sustained attention. The surface treatment evokes both ancient organic matter and modernist abstraction simultaneously, situating the piece at a productive intersection between past and present, East and West. For collectors, this sculpture represents a rare opportunity to acquire a work from one of the most consequential years of Toyofuku's mature practice. The late 1960s saw the artist working with increasing confidence in his signature vocabulary of perforated forms and layered surfaces, and pieces from this period are held in significant institutional collections internationally. The relatively intimate scale of this work, at 40 by 49 centimeters, makes it well suited to both domestic and institutional display contexts, while its formal sophistication ensures it commands attention in any setting. The combination of a masterful surface patina, precise formal repetition, and the interplay of solid and void gives this work an enduring vitality that speaks equally to collectors of postwar abstraction, Asian modernism, and the broader canon of twentieth century sculptural innovation.

Medium
Wooden painted sculpture

🔨 Auction Lot

Martini Studio d'Arte: Modern And Contemporary Art

June 10, 2026

Estimate: €10,000 to €15,000

Lot 112

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About this work

Tomonori Toyofuku, Untitled, 1969

This untitled wooden sculpture by Tomonori Toyofuku, created in 1969, presents a commanding rectangular panel densely populated with oval apertures arranged in rhythmic, overlapping rows. The surface carries a richly textured patina of gold and black, achieved through painting and what appears to be a craquelure effect that lends the work an ancient, almost archaeological quality. Each oval opening is framed by a gently concave recess, creating a sense of depth and dimensionality that transforms what might otherwise read as a flat relief into something genuinely spatial and immersive. Mounted on a sleek black metal stand, the sculpture hovers at eye level, inviting close inspection from multiple angles as light plays across its undulating surfaces. Toyofuku, a Japanese sculptor who spent much of his career in Italy, occupied a distinctive position within the international art world of the postwar decades. Deeply influenced by his engagement with European informalism and Arte Povera, he nonetheless maintained a sensibility rooted in Japanese aesthetic traditions, particularly a concern with the tension between material presence and negative space. This work exemplifies those preoccupations beautifully. The repeating ovals, uniform yet subtly varied in their curvature and depth, create a meditative visual rhythm that rewards sustained attention. The surface treatment evokes both ancient organic matter and modernist abstraction simultaneously, situating the piece at a productive intersection between past and present, East and West. For collectors, this sculpture represents a rare opportunity to acquire a work from one of the most consequential years of Toyofuku's mature practice. The late 1960s saw the artist working with increasing confidence in his signature vocabulary of perforated forms and layered surfaces, and pieces from this period are held in significant institutional collections internationally. The relatively intimate scale of this work, at 40 by 49 centimeters, makes it well suited to both domestic and institutional display contexts, while its formal sophistication ensures it commands attention in any setting. The combination of a masterful surface patina, precise formal repetition, and the interplay of solid and void gives this work an enduring vitality that speaks equally to collectors of postwar abstraction, Asian modernism, and the broader canon of twentieth century sculptural innovation.

Medium
Wooden painted sculpture
Year
1969
Seen at
Martini Studio d'Arte

Related themes

Cross Cultural, Three Dimensional, Material Art, Repetition Pattern, Gold And Black, Minimalist, Male Artist, Modernist, Japanese Artist, Informalism, Wood Sculpture, Meditative Art, Geometric Abstraction, Asian Artist, Negative Space, Postwar Art, Abstract Sculpture, Wall Mounted, Relief Sculpture, Textured Surface, Organic Form

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