Sei Koyanagui was born in Hokkaido, in Northern Japan. After studying in Tokyo, he moved to Paris after the end of the hostilities of WW1. There he lived and painted, as many artists of the time, in Montmartre. Foujita was the pioneer Japanese artist in Paris; Koyanagui knew him and worked with him. This was a very exciting time in the Paris art scene. Koyanagui was also very friendly with Picasso but retained his own independent and poetic style. What was unusual in his experience is that Koyanagui was recognized early on as a talent and was successful shortly after he first arrived in Europe. His works were exhibited at the Salon des Independants, the Salon d’Automne and the Salon des Tuileries. In 1929 at the young age of 33, Koyanagui was invited to present his work at a dedicated exhibition at Le Petit Palais. Koyanagui traveled extensively in Western Europe. His works were exhibited at London’s Royal Academy and at the Kunstaustelling in Munich, Germany. We like his work very much and feel that it fits perfectly into the atmosphere of the house.