Hundertwasser. Japan and the Avant-Garde

Like many European artists in the 1950s who perceived the Far East as a new reference point for a more open concept of art, Hundertwasser sought inspiration from Taoism and Zen Buddhism. He was also fascinated by the Japanese woodcuts of Hiroshige and Hokusai. His procedural approach to painting, his experimental compositions and his painting actions in the late 1950s led to the development of a mature, but idiosyncratic, style which was equal to that of artists of the international avant-garde. His early friendship with Akira Kito and also his marriage with his Japanese life partner in 1961 during his sojourn in Japan are further links which fuelled Hundertwasser's interest in Japanese art and culture.