Artwork Description

Title: Peach of Kunlun Mountain (2)
Artist: Keiko Moriuchi
Date: 2008
Medium: Mixed media on canvas
Dimensions: 35.8 x 28.3 in (91 x 72 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Peach of Kunlun Mountain (2) is a dynamic mixed media painting by Keiko Moriuchi, rendered in vivid impasto with rich layers of metallic gold, saturated reds, blues, pinks, and lime greens. The surface is densely worked, with sculptural paint application creating a tactile, almost topographical surface. Concentric circular forms dominate the composition, arranged symmetrically and framed by ribbon-like edges that draw the eye inward. The verso bears inscriptions by the artist in both English and Japanese, including the Title:, date, and stylized sketches, reinforcing the work's conceptual and personal significance.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Moriuchi’s work is emblematic of the post-Gutai sensibility, integrating the movement’s core tenets of physicality, spontaneity, and the breaking of traditional artistic boundaries. Her use of heavily textured paint aligns with the performative gestures encouraged by Gutai’s founder, Jiro Yoshihara, while the symbolic circular forms and references to mythic landscapes evoke both cosmological and spiritual themes. Influences from Western Abstract Expressionism and Japanese material culture converge in her distinctive visual language.

3. Historical Context
Keiko Moriuchi became formally associated with the Gutai Art Association in 1968, though her participation predated her membership. A student of Osaka Shoin Women’s University, she was mentored by Jiro Yoshihara, who directed her away from Paris and toward New York, where she lived and worked among influential artists such as Ad Reinhardt. Her contribution to the 1968 New Artists’ Exhibition—lining 108 white cushions in a meditative, minimalist installation—reflected her engagement with the Gutai ethos: a union of body, matter, and moment. This painting, completed in 2008, demonstrates her continued exploration of symbolic form and material engagement decades after Gutai's dissolution.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon request.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition, professionally framed and well-preserved. The impasto surface shows no signs of loss or cracking. Inscriptions and sketches on the verso remain clear and unaltered.

6. Artistic Significance
Keiko Moriuchi stands as a unique figure bridging post-war Japanese avant-garde movements and Western contemporary practices. Her later works, such as Peach of Kunlun Mountain (2), reveal a matured artistic vocabulary rooted in myth, materiality, and the layered symbolism of Gutai’s performative heritage. This work offers collectors a rare opportunity to engage with a direct descendant of Japan’s most radical postwar art movement, in a piece that unites historical resonance with striking visual impact.