Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita

(1886–1968)

Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886–1968) was a Japanese–French painter. After studying Western-style painting in Japan, he moved to Paris in 1913, where he encountered the international modern art scene of Montparnasse and developed an eclectic style that drew on both Japanese and European artistic traditions. His subjects ranged widely, from self-portraits to Parisian café scenes, nudes, and cats. Later in life he converted to Catholicism, and his work took a spiritual turn, culminating in his design of the Foujita Chapel in Reims.