About the artist:

Born in Hirokawa Japan, Keiko Minami, orphaned at a young age, expressed an early interest in the arts. She both painted and wrote poetry in high school, and studied the art of children's stories under the Japanese novelist and poet Sakae Tsuboi. Her artistic style was influenced by such artists as Paul Klee, Hamaguchi Yōzō, Johnny Friedlaender, Mori Yoshio, and Japanese print artists. After the war, Keiko moved to Tokyo to create children's books, and it was there that she met her future husband, the mezzotint artist Hamaguchi Yōzō. Keiko and Yōzō moved to Paris in late 1953 where Keiko began studying under Johnny Friedlaender, a pioneer in aquatint etching. She lived in Paris from 1954 to 2004. In 1961, Heinz Berggruen, a dealer in modern prints known for his collection of 20th-century masterpieces, became Keiko's exclusive art dealer. Wife of the artist Yozo Hamaguchi. Named official artist of the United Nations in 1959 for her print "Tree of Peace." 1909 - Born Hirokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan 1927 - 1929 - Attended the School of Fine Arts Tokyo, Japan 1998 - Inauguration, Museé Yozo Hamaguchi Tokyo, Japan Exhibitions 2000 - Color Mezzotints, Vorpal Gallery San Francisco, CA 1999 - The Art of Mezzotint, Vorpal Gallery San Francisco, CA 1998 - Retrospective, Keiko Minami, Tokyu-Kichijoji Department Store Musashino, Japan 1997 - Exposition des Oeuvres, Le Printemps Tokyo, Japan 1995 - Keiko Minami, Takaoko Museum Takaoko City, Japan 1994 - Musashino City Exhibition, Osaka, Japan 1992 - Retrospective, Ohtani Memorial Museum Nishimiya City, Japan 1991 - Retrospective, Kunstverein fur die Rheinlande und Westfalen Dusseldorf, Germany 1988 - Retrospective of Prints and Studies, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum Tokyo, Japan 1985 - Retrospective, Yurakucho Art Forum Tokyo, Japan 1983 - Vorpal Gallery San Francisco, CA and New York, NY