Watercolor on paper, scroll. Featuring two cats. Signed Foujita on the lower left corner. Attributed to Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968, French-Japanese). 46 x 30.5 cm (18.1 x 12.0 inches). PROVENANCE: Private Canadian collection (Toronto, Ontario)

Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968, French-Japanese) was a Japanese painter best known for his participation in the bohemian culture during of the 1910s in Montparnasse, Paris. Foujita’s strange yet representational paintings often depict himself, cats, and women. He found nearly immediate success in Paris and, despite having no connections beforehand, Foujita was able to sell and live off his art. Born on November 27, 1886 in Tokyo, Japan, he went on to study at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1910. After his move to Paris, Foujita met and became friends with prominent avant-garde artists of the day like Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani, and Chaïm Soutine. His work can now be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others. Foujita died on January 29, 1968 in Zürich, Switzerland at the age of 81.

All lots that do not carry established documented provenance nor any past record of auction history record are described in the catalog as attributed .

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given.

By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century : This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).