Reika Iwami

Reika Iwami (岩見 禮花 Iwami Reika; born 1927 - March 18, 2020) was a Sōsaku-hanga woodblock printmaker from Tokyo, Japan who worked primarily with abstract compositions. Iwami was among the first women to become well-known in the printmaker community both in and out of Japan. A member of the Sōsaku-hanga movement, she is considered a pioneer in 20th-century print art. Her works consisted of representations of the natural world using monochromatic or subdued colors, embossing, and metal leaf.

Biography Iwami was born in Tokyo in 1927 but she spent much of her early life on the island of Kyushu. She later lived in Kanagawa. before turning her attention to printmaking in 1954.

She studied with Koshiro Onchi, a prominent founder of the Sōsaku-hanga movement, as well as Onchi’s associates Sekino Jun'ichirō and Shinagawa Takumi, the latter influencing Iwami’s use of driftwood in her prints.

Iwami entered the print art movement after completing her studies. She was one of several women artists who found independent success in 20th-century Japan. While women often helped male print artists, it was uncommon and unusual for a woman to create her own pieces. Iwami joined the Nihon Hanga Kyôkai (Japan Print Association) in 1955, and she would go on to become a co-founder of the Joryû Hanga Kyôkai (Women’s Print Association) in 1957. Iwami was a prolific printmaker and among the first women printmakers in Japan to achieve recognition at the same level as her male colleagues.

Collections During and after Iwami’s lifetime, her prints were gathered in various collections worldwide.

The following is a partial list of collections: Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama MOMA Art Gallery of New South Wales Cincinnati Art Museum Library of Congress Art Institute Chicago Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Affiliations Japan Print Association