TAKAMURA Toyochika

Takamura Toyochika was born in Tokyo. His father, Takamura Koun (1852–1934) was a well-known sculptor and professor at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. Toyochika studied under Tsuda Nobuo (1875–1946), and graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1915. He helped to establish numerous groups to promote the applied arts, including Sochoku Bijutsuka Kyokai (Association of Decorative Artists) in 1919, and the avant-garde movement Mukeo (‘Formless’) in 1926. He became an associate professor in metal crafting at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1933, and a member of the Nihon Geijutsuin (Japan Art Academy) in 1950. Takamura exhibited regularly at the Nitten. In 1964 he was declared a Living National Treasure. His art can be found in the collections of the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, the National Museum of Art in Tokyo, and the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art in Kanazawa.