SARASOTA — World renowned religious artwork will now adorn the walls of one local church after a donation was made by a parishioner this month.
A total of 24 pieces by Japanese artist Sadao Watanabe were gifted to Church of the Redeemer by philanthropist and collector Hugh Culverhouse Jr.
Watanabe became a devout Christian after nearly dying from tuberculosis, dedicating his life to sharing the glory of God through art.
Watanabe, who died in 1996, became famous for his illustrations of the Bible made in mingei, a Japanese folk art tradition.
Watanabe used the style of stenciling and dyeing — known as the katozome method — to express biblical scenes.
“Art always brings people together, and I want my church to be a place where everyone comes together to experience God’s love in many forms,” Culverhouse said.
Some of Watanabe’s work is part of the Vatican Museum’s permanent collection and has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the British Museum in London.