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Lot Essay
Osamu Ochi was a key member of the Kyushu-ha group and is credited with introducing new materials including asphalt. He was born in Saga Prefecture in 1936 and started painting whilst at high-school. Early jobs in a yacht factory followed by a printing company in 1955 introduced him to the use of a range of materials which would later become central to the Kyushu-ha. In 1955 both Osamu Ochi and Takami Sakurai exhibited works at the 40th Nika exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and at the gathering of winners they met for the first time, leading to the formation of Kyushu-ha.
Ochi moved to California in 1966, returning to Japan in 1969. From this point on he worked independently and not associated with any group, holding a number of private exhibitions. He began painting spheres during his time in the US and he continued to paint them after returning to Fukuoka. Floating Sphere, 1972 is a work completed soon after his return and typifies what became his signature subject after his association with the Kyushu-ha.
For more about the Kyushu-ha, see lot 69.
Ochi moved to California in 1966, returning to Japan in 1969. From this point on he worked independently and not associated with any group, holding a number of private exhibitions. He began painting spheres during his time in the US and he continued to paint them after returning to Fukuoka. Floating Sphere, 1972 is a work completed soon after his return and typifies what became his signature subject after his association with the Kyushu-ha.
For more about the Kyushu-ha, see lot 69.