Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Kuniyoshi immigrated to the United States from Japan as a teenager. He became one of the most acclaimed American artists working between the world wars, developing a distinctive style that blended elements of Surrealism, social realism, and influences from the School of Paris. However, discriminatory immigration laws barred him from becoming an American citizen, and he was classified as an “enemy alien” after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Injured Child, painted just after the war, reflects the isolation and emotional distress felt by Japanese-Americans who had faced internment and discrimination in their own country. It may also allude to the refugee crisis faced by European and Asian countries in the aftermath of the war.