西村貞 - 西村久次郎 Postcard to F. M. Trautz 1933

西村貞 - 西村久次郎 Postcard to F. M. Trautz 1933

Nishimura Tei (1893-1961), whose birth name was Nishimura Hisajirō (西村久次郎), was born in Osaka. He learned Western painting from Matsubara Sangorō and studied at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. After leaving Meiji University, he focused on Renaissance painting and traveled to Europe between 1921 and 1923. Upon his return to Japan, he shifted his focus to Japanese art, conducting surveys of stone Buddha statues in Nara Prefecture. He later expanded his research to explore how Western art was received in Japan, and during this time, he also studied the tea ceremony and gardens. As an independent researcher, Nishimura dedicated himself to investigating areas often overlooked by official art historians, such as stone Buddha statues and early Western-style Christian paintings, making significant contributions to these fields. 

Interestingly, New York Public Library lists 15 works by him: New York Public Library. (n.d.). Research catalog. Retrieved from https://www.nypl.org/research/research-catalog/search (Keyword search: Nishimura Tei).