｢Young Woman｣
Yuichi Sakurai (1914-1981)
The lively, young and healthy figure has the impression of innocence and faint charm. Her pose to hold the hem of T-shirt around the waist is so unique that it makes the orthodox motif more attractive. This piece is the fruit of the sculptor's dedication to pursue beauty for years.
Yuichi Sakurai
Born in Yonezawa City, Yamagata in 1914. He learned wooden sculpture under Yoshiaki Kobayashi, the pupil of Shoun Sekine, while working as his assistant. In 1932, he studied under Denchu Hiragushi of Nihon Bijutsuin (Japan Art Institute) and participated in the exhibition of the institute. The wooden piece "Asking Man" which portrays his friend was first selected in the exhibition in 1934. Then he made his debut as a sculptor at age 20. In 1930s he came to create clay pieces more than wooden ones and established himself as a representational sculptor by the series of "Woman in Negligee" after 1934.
