Arts & Entertainment

CDM Couple's Art Collection Displayed at Bowers Museum

Classic Japanese paintings owned by Joe and Etsuko Price are on exhibit at the museum through Sunday, June 12.

Joe and Etsuko Price have long cherished their Japanese art collection. Now Orange County residents have the chance to see why it is considered one of the finest collections of Japanese paintings in the world.

The exhibit, "Itō Jakuchū: A Man with No Age," is on display at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana through Sunday, June 12. Many consider Jakuchū  one of the greatest artists who ever lived, and Price says he is honored to own much of his work.

"I loved it all my life and wondered why no one else liked it," Joe Price, a longtime CDM resident, explained. "Then I realized it was that they just haven't seen it yet."

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Price, who was born in the Midwest, spent his working life as an engineer and admits he didn't know how unusual his collection was until he met his Japanese wife.

"I didn’t know what was good or bad art. I found one painting in New York City long ago and just started buying more. It's now about 650 pieces, some which are more than 200 years old," Price said. "She told me many of my paintings were by Jakuchū, which I never knew because I couldn't read Japanese."

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His collection of Jakuchū’s work is special indeed. According to the Bowers Museum, the collection is considered one of the finest assemblages of Japanese art in the world—second only to that of the emperor of Japan. In 2006-07, Jakuchū’s 
paintings attracted crowds of more than 1 million in 
Japan.

Jakuchū was born in Japan in 1715 and sold vegetables, was a Buddhist monk and devoted his life to capturing the beauty of nature in his paintings, which Price says are a must-see, as they appeal  to people of all ages.  

"Go to the museum with an open mind," Price said, "and I think you will love it just as I do."

The Bowers Museum is at 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana.


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