# Shinkichi Tajiri artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/shinkichi-tajiri/
Profile generated: 2026-05-30T12:29:31.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1923-12-07
- Death date: 2009-03-15
- Nationality: American, Dutch
- Common media: sculpture (bronze, stone, mixed media), painting, photography, graphic arts and printmaking, video and film

## About Shinkichi Tajiri

Shinkichi Tajiri (1923–2009) was an American-Dutch artist born in Los Angeles to Japanese parents. He is best known as a sculptor but maintained an expansive practice encompassing painting, photography, graphic arts, film, video, and installation. Tajiri moved to the Netherlands in 1956 and settled in Baarlo, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. His work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and his biography is documented by the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Getty Union List of Artist Names, and the Virtual International Authority File. Tajiri also taught at art academies in the Netherlands. His multi-disciplinary output and transatlantic career make his work of interest to collectors of post-war sculpture and European contemporary art.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers are most likely to encounter Tajiri's bronze sculptures, which range from tabletop works to large-scale public commissions. He also produced graphic works and prints, photographic series, paintings on canvas, and experimental film and video pieces. Installation-based works and drawings also appear in institutional records. Medium, edition size, condition, and subject matter are important identifiers when evaluating a Tajiri work for appraisal.

## Market and appraisal context

Tajiri's work appears regularly at auction across several categories, including bronze and mixed-media sculpture, prints and multiples, photographs, and graphic works. With over 200 lots recorded in the Appraisily database, there is meaningful auction activity to inform comparable-sale analysis. Key factors that may influence appraisal include the specific medium and scale of a work, its date and period of creation, provenance linking to notable exhibitions or institutions such as MoMA, condition, and whether the work is a unique piece or part of an edition. Collectors should note that Tajiri's career spans distinct phases — his early American period and his long residence in the Netherlands — and works from these periods may differ in market profile.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research grounded in museum, library-authority, and scholarly sources with auction records that include sale dates, lot descriptions, realized prices, and comparable results. For Shinkichi Tajiri, this page draws on records from the Museum of Modern Art, the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, and Wikidata, supplemented by the Appraisily auction database of over 200 lots.

## Sources

- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/76400
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/5781
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/237394989/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q471243
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkichi_Tajiri
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500029677
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n92062228