Gallery 3J: Paul Jacoulet — The Christenson Collection of Miniature Japanese Woodblock Prints

Gallery 3J: Paul Jacoulet’s Surimono Woodblock Prints

Although Paul Jacoulet (1896-1960) was born in Paris, France, his family moved to Japan when he was three years old and he lived there for the rest of his life. Jacoulet took an early interest in Japanese painting and woodblock prints, creating his first print in 1934. He preferred to publish his own prints and only worked with known highly skilled carvers and printers. Jacoulet is known for his stylized portraits of the people of Japan, China, Korea, and the South Pacific Islands. In addition to his larger prints, Jacoulet created 22 miniature surimono prints that were affixed within Christmas/New Year cards. All but three were miniaturizations of his larger prints; the same number of blocks and high standards printing were employed in their production.