- 161
Yoichi Ohira
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
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Description
- Yoichi Ohira
- Unique "Colata di Lava n. 23" Vase
- incised Yoichi Ohira/mº A. Zilio/mº G. Barbini/1/1 unico/Friday 11-3-2005/murano and with artist's monogram
- hand-blown glass with murrine, granular and powder inserts, partial inciso and polished surface
Provenance
Barry Friedman Ltd., New York
Christie’s New York, Barry Friedman: The Eclectic Eye, March 25, 2014, lot 1
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Christie’s New York, Barry Friedman: The Eclectic Eye, March 25, 2014, lot 1
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Condition
Overall in excellent, original condition.The glass with a few very minor irregularities and air bubbles inherent in the making. The underside of the base with a few light surface scratches consistent with age and gentle use. A superb example of Ohira's work.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
In 1973, the impressively opulent forms of Murano glass so inspired the young glassworker Yoichi Ohira to emigrate from the Chiba province of Japan to the Italian island to immerse himself in its artistic community. Still based in Murano to this day, Ohira began studying at the Accademia di Belle Arti upon his arrival and eventually partnered with the master glassworkers Livio Serena, Giacomo Barbini, and Andrea Zilio. With his collaborators, Ohira directs an artistic vision that melds the distinguished sensibility of Renaissance and Roman aesthetics with the tender harmony of Japanese, Korean, and Chinese decorative arts. Subtle interplays of contrasts—rough and smooth, dense and transparent—that pervade Ohira’s body of work perfectly encapsulate the reconciliation between the artist’s native and adopted cultures.
The radiant spectacle of Ohira’s works lies in the complex artistic language within each of his objects. Glass’s inherent relationship between the clear and the opaque had always fascinated the artist: “In its transparency,” Ohira expounds, “I seemed to glimpse the mysterious purity of nature: the sky, the stars, fresh air, clear water, and the white snow.” Indeed, the present lots that Ohira created in the mature stages of his career reconcile his mastery of the medium with a lifetime’s worth of reflections on the natural world. For instance, dramatic swaths of molten reds and oranges run amidst tar-like pools of pitch black in the “Colata di Lava n. 23” vase (lot 161), evoking the fiery aftermath of a volcanic explosion. With an arresting richness, the following vases communicate Ohira’s true understanding of glassmaking’s meticulous methods and the beauty that such processes can bear.
The radiant spectacle of Ohira’s works lies in the complex artistic language within each of his objects. Glass’s inherent relationship between the clear and the opaque had always fascinated the artist: “In its transparency,” Ohira expounds, “I seemed to glimpse the mysterious purity of nature: the sky, the stars, fresh air, clear water, and the white snow.” Indeed, the present lots that Ohira created in the mature stages of his career reconcile his mastery of the medium with a lifetime’s worth of reflections on the natural world. For instance, dramatic swaths of molten reds and oranges run amidst tar-like pools of pitch black in the “Colata di Lava n. 23” vase (lot 161), evoking the fiery aftermath of a volcanic explosion. With an arresting richness, the following vases communicate Ohira’s true understanding of glassmaking’s meticulous methods and the beauty that such processes can bear.