Tomizo Saratani (1949 - )

Urushi lacquer on stone

11 by 9.3 by 5.8 cm

Tomizo Saratani was born in Kyoto and has dedicated his life to traditional Japanese lacquer (urushi). Following his studies with various tutors, he traveled to Vienna in 1975 to work as an instructor and restorer for the MAK - the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts - where he oversaw the restorations of lacquered furniture in Austrian public collections for eight years. He then worked as a lacquer restorer and netsuke artist in London, Chicago, and his native of Hokkaido before deciding to focus completely on his original creations in 2003.Tomizo's topics are almost always animals, which he can represent with astonishing authenticity.