Roland Strasser (Austrian/American, 1895-1974) Kyoto, 1967 Oil on canvas 38 x 20 inches (96.5 x 50.8 cm) Signed lower right: Strasser Signed, inscribed, and dated on the reverse: Strasser / Roland Strasser / Japan, Kyoto / 67 PROVENANCE: The artist; Dr. and Mrs. Vern Oliver Knudsen, Los Angeles, California, gift of the above; Thence by descent to the present owner. Austrian-born Roland Strasser was an artist, writer, and inveterate traveler whose work was shaped by extensive journeys across Asia before modern travel and global conflict transformed many of the regions he visited. He traveled widely—through India and Asia—covering some 30,000 miles and frequently immersing himself in local customs. Born in Vienna, the son of the sculptor Arthur Strasser, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and later in Munich under Angelo Jank. During World War I, he served as an official war artist for the Austrian army, producing stark images of the conflict. In the postwar years, he turned to travel and artistic exploration, working initially as a lithographer and illustrator before undertaking extended study trips abroad. In 1919, following a successful exhibition in the Netherlands, Strasser traveled to the Dutch East Indies, spending extended periods in Java, Sumatra, Bali, and New Guinea. There, he developed a highly personal visual language informed by local cultures and landscapes. In Bali, he formed a close friendship with the Dutch artist Willem Dooijewaard, with whom he continued traveling across Asia, including China, Tibet, Mongolia, and Japan. In 1929, Strasser and his wife Enrica spent a year in Kyoto, where he depicted kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, and geishas—subjects that likely include the figure in the present work. He often worked outdoors, attracting large crowds, and later recalled audiences of sixty to seventy onlookers gathering to watch him paint. Often described as a form of "magical expressionism," Strasser's style combines elements of Austrian Expressionism with the color and atmosphere of the cultures he encountered. The present work, depicting a geisha in traditional attire adorned with golden hair ornaments, captures both elegance and quiet intensity through fluid brushwork and bold color. Its expressive background enhances the figure's presence, while the assured handling of paint reflects the artist's maturity. Strasser returned to Bali in 1935, remaining in Kintamani with his wife until the end of World War II. Although they intended to return to Europe, they settled in Santa Monica, California, in the early 1950s. There, he remained active until his death in 1972, exhibiting in Long Beach and Laguna and restoring a 1930s mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros. In California, Strasser and his wife befriended Professor and Mrs. Vern Knudsen, the first owners of the present work. Knudsen, an acoustical physicist, designed many early Hollywood sound stages, contributed to sonar development, and later served as Chancellor of UCLA. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

The artist; Dr. and Mrs. Vern Oliver Knudsen, Los Angeles, gift of the above; Thence by descent to the present owner.

Unlined canvas. Small losses and subsequent lifting in paint layer above figure's head. Small dot and ring-shaped yellow accretions in upper region.
Framed Dimensions 43 X 25 Inches