Rehs Contemporary, a New York Gallery specializing in Contemporary Realism, has announced the unveiling of premier Japanese artist Hiroshi Furuyoshi’s newest work, Adelaide (2018).

Furuyoshi, born in Hiroshima in 1959, found himself surrounded by all sorts of intriguing objects and treasures as a child. At the time, Furuyoshi’s parents ran an antique shop, which is where he spent most of his youth. Unsurprisingly, he was naturally drawn to depictions of curiosity cabinets, a subject matter that reached its height of popularity in the 17th century as evidenced by the collaborative series of work by Rubens and Jan Breughel I, The Five Senses. The Five Senses, a set of allegorical paintings which currently hang in the Prado Museum, illustrates the five senses using assemblages of works of art, musical instruments, scientific equipment, flowers, fish, and other items. Furuyoshi’s fascination with Baroque art and the exuberance and grandeur of the period not only influenced his work, but how he presents the finished piece.  Today, Furuyoshi’s highly sought-after miniature paintings are jam-packed with ultra-realistic renderings of toys, dolls, flowers and other things he may have crossed paths with in his younger years and are typically adorned with one-of-a-kind handcrafted frames.

His newest piece, Adelaide (2018), depicts a young woman holding a variety of colored roses standing in front of one of Hiroshi’s iconic curiosity cabinets. In this composition, which measures just 6 ¾ x 3 inches, the cabinets are overflowing with floral arrangements stuffed into vibrant and seemingly delicate vases. The young woman, Adelaide, stoically gazing out through the gold doors of the majestic frame that encapsulates the work – her eyes appearing to maintain contact irrespective of the viewer's vantage point.  

This work shares its title with a painting featuring the same model completed two years earlier. Adelaide (2016) shows the young girl seated before a towering cabinet filled with toys, dolls and other objects – it was sold through Christie’s London in 2016 and while it measures just 14 x 11 inches, it still holds the artist’s auction record of £80,500 ($106,256).

Lance and Alyssa Rehs, co-directors of Rehs Contemporary, are always on the lookout for exceptional and unique talent. The gallery connected with Furuyoshi through an exhibition award they offer to a select group of finalists of the Art Renewal Center’s Annual Salon. Lance stated, “Hiroshi’s finish is remarkable. When we received Ella (the painting submitted for the gallery’s award exhibit The Modern Muse, October 2018) I was amazed by the quality and precision. He is a true master of his craft.” The artist sent Ella to the gallery just days before the opening and as soon as word went out that the painting was going to be featured in the show, they were flooded with inquires. The work was snatched up immediately by a private collector before the show opened. Alyssa went on to say, “We received Adelaide last week and I was simply floored.  Such a stunning work painted perfectly to fit into a miniature frame of what I can only describe as a gothic church altarpiece hit by Wayne Szalinski’s (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) shrink laser; it is truly awing.” The gallery notes that while the artworks are small, the painstaking detail is so time-consuming that they only expect to receive three works for the entire year of 2019.

Furuyoshi’s Adelaide (2018) is slated to be presented through Rehs Contemporary at the upcoming LA Art Show, which opens on Wednesday, January 23rd and will run through Sunday, January 27th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

For more information, visit https://www.rehscgi.com, or call Lance Rehs at (212) 355-5710