A butterfly soars like Icarus before the sun, the horizon in layers of silver, gold and mother of pearl flakes far below, on this exquisite work by Inami Tadashi enclosed in the original signed wooden box. It is 33.5 x 9 x 24.5 cm (13-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 10 inches) and is in excellent condition.
Inami Tadashi (1923-2011) was born in Kanazawa as the eldest son of the second-generation artist of the distinguished Kaga maki-e tradition. After graduating from the Tokyo Fine Arts School in 1944 —where he studied lacquer under Yamazaki Kakutaro and ceramics under Katō Hajime and Tomimoto Kenkichi—he returned to the family workshop to master Kaga maki-e under his father. Although trained in a classical lineage, Inami forged his own career through national Exhibitions where his abstract, modern lacquer screens and panels were repeatedly recognized. From his first acceptance at the 2nd Nitten in 1946, he went on to receive the Hokuto Prize, the Prime Minister’s Prize, and in 1994 the prestigious Japan Art Academy Prize later serving as a councilor, and then director. Equally active in the Japan Contemporary Crafts Exhibition, Inami received the Contemporary Crafts Prize in 1964, with several works later entering public collections including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Trondheim Art Museum in Norway. His leadership extended beyond exhibition work: from 1953 he served as director of the Wajima City Lacquerware Institute for fifteen years, contributing to the development of lacquer design suited to contemporary interiors. Throughout his career he exhibited widely—both in major thematic exhibitions in Japan and abroad, as well numerous solo shows at venues throughout Japan. Inami’s oeuvre reflects both the elegance of traditional Kaga maki-e and a distinctive modern sensibility characterized by bold abstract compositions. Known for his meticulous technical research, his achievements earned him numerous honors, including the Hokkoku Culture Prize, the Ishikawa Prefecture Cultural Merit Award, and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette. A major retrospective, Lacquer Innovation: The Four Generations of the Inami Family, was held at the Wajima Lacquer Art Museum in 2013, and his works are represented in the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art and the Wajima Lacquer Art Museum.
