Frank Llyod Wright – Japanese Portfolio

フランク·ロイド·ライト作品集. 第1輯 / Furanku roido raito sakuhinshu. 1. (Frank lloyd Wright, Collected Works, volume 1 of 2 volumes).

小山正和 編. Toyama, Masakuza (Editor).

Tokyo, 建築世界社 1926, Kenchiku Sekaisha, 1926.

One photo portrait of F.L. Wright, 52 plates, booklet (27 x 19 cm) with 25 pages text and 6 pages with list of plates.

36 x 27 cm. Original portfolio with cloth spine.

sold

The legendary publication by Frank Lloyd Wright “Ausgeführte Bauen und Entwürfe” was published in Berlin 1910 by Ernst Wasmuth. A second, undated German edition, was published in smaller size by Wasmuth 1924.

Three different portfolios with illustrations of FLW’s work were published in Japan between 1916 and 1928. The illustrations are largely taken from the original work from 1910. The first Japanese edition was published 1916 in Osaka and contains only 32 plates selected from the original work of 100 plates. Another edition appeared around 1920 in Kyoto, under the title „Executed Buildings“ with 50 plates. The present edition was published in 1926-27 in two volumes with over 100 plates; only the first volume is offered here.

This edition reproduces almost all the plates of the original work, with the interesting exception that some of the illustrations of FLW’s drawings have been replaced by photographs. I will be happy to send you a detailed list of all the plates on request. Interesting document on the appreciation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work in Japan.

All three Japanese editions were offered by Sotheby’s in New York in 2012, none of the lots were sold, the estimates of 25,000 to 55,000 US dollars per edition were certainly far too high.

Cover of the portfolio with missing parts in the paper cover, the binding tapes missing, the portrait with marginal damage, otherwise a very good copy.