KAWASE HASUI (1883-1957), colour woodblock print. Japan, "Night Rain".

The Collection of Wivica Ankarcrona Borell.

Bukowskis has been entrusted to sell part of the vast collections of Art and Antiques after Wivica Akarcrona Borell (1935-2019).

The foundation of the collection was laid by Rear Admiral/Flag officer Sten Ankarcrona (1861-1936). Ankarcrona first got a taste for the Asian Art while following his fathers’s footsteps serving as ‘enseigne de vaisseau’ for the French navy “la Royale” during the years 1885-1889, when his Fregatt sailed in the area. Ankarcrona continued to ad on to the collection, later in life when he was sent on a special mission to Japan in 1923. He brought back vast collections of lacquer, bronzes, textiles, ceramics.

In 1911 the family moved to the mansion like duplex next to Sturegatan in Stockholm. The elegant home and their summer house at Brevik by Erstaviken where Ankarcrona created a Japanese garden (1923-27) and even set up a complete Japanese building was documented in the the magazine 'Svenska Hem i ord och bild' in 1928, which provide us with a fascinating window into this golden age of European collecting. The guest book contains signature of the Swedish king Gustav VI Adolf as well as the Japanese crown prince, later Emperor Akihito.

Stens son Sten S:son Ankarcrona (1904-1981, continued the tradition of collecting, amongst other things Swedish 18th Century furniture and art, pieces that worked well with family heirlooms from the Bergenstråhle, Bohnstedt, Cassel, Mörner and Lybecker families.

Wivica was married to Ulf Borell, appointed physician to the Swedish royal family. She was a loyal visitor to the auctions and museums around the world. Her friends and family also know her as an opera habitué who never missed a new set. Her apartment was located at the top floor of the house by Sturegatan, in the elegant apartment new additions and finds from the auction scene mixed with old family heirlooms, many that can be seen in the magazine article of 1928.

Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) is regarded by many as one of the most talented Japanese landscape artist of the 20th Century. His prints are characterized by their serenity of mood and flawless composition. While his landscapes are markedly modern, they yearn for a Japan past and rest upon traditional virtues of delicacy, poise and restraint.

Watanabe was the first to recognize his artistic genius, and Hasui soon became the most popular artist working for this prestigious publisher. Hasui travelled widely in Japan and his subjects are based on quick sketches and watercolours taken from nature. Unfortunately, during the earthquake of 1923, all of his woodblocks and over 200 sketches were destroyed, which makes his early works scarce and in great demand today.