Japanese sculptor Kooyu Fujii first learned how to draw from painter Mantani Kunishiro and graduated from the Sculpture Department of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1907. In the same year he started exhibiting at the Bunten Exhibitions, winning awards for sculptures that were influenced by Belgian sculptor Constantin Meunier. In 1916 he became a member of the Japanese Art Institute, although he withdrew 20 years later, then joining the Imperial Fine Arts Academy, renamed the following year as the Imperial Art Academy. After World War II Fujii was appointed to the board of the Japan Arts Exhibition (Nitten). He mainly produced female nudes, while his late work consisted mainly of animal sculptures.
Japan