Matsumi Kanemitsu
Self-Portrait
1942-1957
Scroll
Matsumi Kanemitsu
Self-Portrait
1942-1957
Physical Qualities
Paint on hardboard, Unframed: 24 x 19 7/8 in. (61 x 50.5 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of J. Blankfard Martenet
Object Number
2022.273
Depicted in acid greens and bright reds, this early self-portrait shows the artist as a romantic figure. Bloodshot eyes suggest frenetic, sleepless nights, while the cravat at his neck also strikes a self-consciously bohemian note. When it first entered the Museum’s holdings, the sitter was unknown and it was cataloged as an anonymous portrait. Research for this exhibition has identified the work as a self-portrait of the artist wearing a knit cap that frequently appears in photographs from this period.
J. Blankfard Martenet by bequest, 1957.
Leslie Cozzi, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Matsumi Kanemitsu: Figure and Fantasy," May 14 - October 8, 2023.
