Noboru Sawai "Samurai & Mrs. Gainsborough" Etching

Updated September 5, 2026

Original Hand-Coloured Etching Artist: Noboru Sawai (Japanese-Canadian, 1931–2017) Title: Samurai & Mrs. Gainsborough Medium: Original hand-coloured etching on paper Signature: Signed in pencil lower right, Noboru Sawai Sight: 20.5" × 25" Frame: 27.5" × 33.5" An imaginative and finely executed original hand-coloured etching by celebrated Japanese-Canadian artist Noboru Sawai, titled Samurai & Mrs. Gainsborough. The composition presents an intriguing dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures, juxtaposing a traditionally attired samurai with an elegant European lady inspired by Thomas Gainsborough's celebrated eighteenth-century portraiture. Between the figures rests an ornate table beneath a suspended decorative parasol, creating a surreal and theatrical setting characteristic of Sawai's narrative imagination. Rendered with delicate etched linework and subtle hand colouring, the work showcases Sawai's exceptional printmaking skill while reflecting his fascination with history, cultural symbolism, and the blending of artistic traditions. The restrained palette and balanced composition exemplify the artist's refined aesthetic. Artist Biography: Noboru Sawai (1931–2017) was an internationally acclaimed Japanese-born Canadian printmaker, painter, and educator. Born in Takamatsu, Japan, he later immigrated to North America, becoming a U.S. citizen before settling in Calgary, Alberta, where he taught at the University of Calgary for twenty-two years.Sawai earned a diploma from the Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis before completing his Master of Fine Arts at the University of Minnesota. In 1970, he returned to Japan to study under renowned woodblock master Toshi Yoshida, an experience that profoundly influenced his printmaking practice.Throughout his distinguished career, Sawai exhibited extensively across Canada, the United States, Belgium, Germany, and Italy. His work is represented in numerous important public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Glenbow Museum, and the Canada Council Art Bank.Renowned for blending traditional Japanese aesthetics with contemporary Western printmaking, Sawai's work frequently explores themes of cultural identity, mythology, history, and human relationships. His prints are admired for their meticulous craftsmanship, symbolic imagery, and sophisticated narrative compositions.

Register & bid on this lot at Bidspirit →

More lots in this auction

• Robert Ralph Carmichael "Drift" Acrylic on Canvas
• Anton Cetin "In Suspense" Acrylic on Canvas
• Mercedes Horne Untitled Abstract Composition
• Petry Wargin Abstract Landscape Acrylic on Canvas
• John K. Esler "The Devil's Thumb" Etching
• John Kenneth Esler "Odysseus, Man of Ages" Litho
• Claire Kerwin, RCA "Surréagence No. I" Etching
• Joseph Amar Mixed-Media Collage, 1978

See all lots in IMPORTANT CANADIAN ART AUCTION Wednesday Sept 16th 7pm →