Bidspirit auction | Toshimitsu Imai (1928–2002)

Toshimitsu Imai (1928–2002) - Untitled, 1981. Toshimitsu Imai (1928–2002) | Untitled , 1981 Ink on Paper Signed: Signed lower right “IMAI 81”. Dimensions: Framed: 68.5 × 84 cm | 27 × 33.1 in Artwork: 63 × 79 cm | 24.8 × 31.1 in Provenance: Private Collection, Switzerland. Condition: Good vintage condition with some signs of wear. Framed. Conditions of Sale: All lots are sold as is. See Section 4 of our Terms and Conditions for return policy. All inquiries must be made prior to bidding, as no further details can be provided after the sale. By placing a bid, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms and Conditions in full. Shipping: Aurora & Athena does not provide in-house shipping. The successful buyer arranges shipping directly with a company of their choice. For shipments outside the EU, Spanish export tax may apply to certain higher-value artworks; no export tax applies within the EU. Any such tax is payable by the buyer. Please refer to our Shipping & Export Information page for further details. -- Toshimitsu Imai’s Untitled (1981) is the culmination of the artist’s late work where he combined gestural abstraction and Eastern calligraphy. Black ink arcs flow and collide on the paper like the Art Informel movement he was part of in post-war Paris. The surface is expressive of control and spontaneity — each stroke full of intention, rhythm and movement. Ink on paper this work shows Imai’s ability to translate emotion into gesture. The tension between the ink fields and the empty space is his ongoing dialogue between East and West — Japanese aesthetics and European abstraction. The result is an image that is both immediate and timeless. Untitled (1981) is from the mature period of Imai’s work where his art became more introspective and monumental. It is the synthesis of spirit and matter that is his work — a visual balance of discipline and impulse, serenity and force.