Christian Riese Lassen

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Christian Riese Lassen is an American artist known for marine art. Based in Hawaii, much of his work involves underwater scenes. A significant number of Lassen's paintings feature whales and dolphins in space - 'space whale art'. [1] Lassen's art was popular in Japan in the 1990s. He is notable for his extensive use of licensing and brand partnerships.

Contents

Art career

Lassen's art was popular in Japan in the 1990s and used for Sumimoto Bank cash cards and passbooks. [2] In 1996 Masudaya released 'Digiglassen', a jigsaw puzzle video game featuring Lassen's artwork. [3]

Lassen has made extensive use of image licensing. His licensed products included stationary, puzzles, posters and a CD-Rom. In the 1990s, Lassen produced works in a collaboration with Disney Art Editions featuring Disney characters. [4] He also had licensing deals with Panasonic and American Greetings, [5] and painted cars for Lamborghini. [6] In 2002, he had 70 licenses for various products and employed licensing staff to explore new deals. [7]

Lassen had a number of sales galleries, including locations in Las Vegas, [8] [9] and Tokyo. [2]

He has been compared to other 'mass-market art' painters including Thomas Kinkade and Howard Behrens. [10] Sociologist Kashima Takashi has written that "Lassen's works have largely been ignored by art critics." [2] Art critic Peter Plagens has stated of Lassen's work "The colors are horrible to look at. They’re garish, and they have that cheap reproduction kind of look." [11] Japanese art critic Noriyuki Sawaragi has written that Lassen has a poor reputation in the Japanese art world in part because of his aggressive sales tactics. [12]

Personal life

In 1995, Lassen stated he owned seven homes in Hawaii. One of these was a $5 million home in Diamond Head, Hawaii. [4]

In 2021, Lassen was put on probation for burglary and damaging a car. [13]

References

  1. ↑ Onion, Rebecca (28 July 2013). "The Fantastical Allure of the Space Whale: The 1960s and mystical marine mammals". Lapham’s Quarterly. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Kashima, Takashi (2022). Why Art Criticism? A Reader. Germany: Hatje Cantz Verlag. p. 382-383. ISBN   9783775750936 . Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  3. ↑ Harada, Hiroki (20 December 2023). 評伝クリスチャン・ラッセン　日本に愛された画家[Biography of Christian Riese Lassen: The Painter Beloved by Japan]. Tokyo: Chuokoron-Shinsha. p. 247. ISBN   4120057240. 「96年、玩具メーカーの増田屋コーポレーションがパソコン上でジグソーパズルを楽しむことができるCDソフト『デジグ ラッセン』を発売した」
  4. 1 2 Ryon, Ruth (1 Oct 1995). "Island Hooper Gone to Maui". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  5. ↑ Tarkenton, Fran; Smith, Wes (1999). What Losing Taught Me About Winning: The Ultimate Guide for Success in Small and Home-Based Business. United States: Touchstone. p. 91. ISBN   9780684838793 . Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  6. ↑ Kashima, Takashi (2022). Why Art Criticism? A Reader. Germany: Hatje Cantz Verlag. p. 377. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  7. ↑ Woodward, Michael (2002). Art Licensing 101. United States: ArtNetwork Press. p. 24.
  8. ↑ Lawson, Jen (30 September 2003). "Art worth $1 million stolen from Caesars". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  9. ↑ "$395,000 painting of Mickey Mouse found". Las Vegas Sun. 2 October 2003. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  10. ↑ Crow, Kelly (19 July 2006). "Poster boys (and girls) strike it rich in the art world". Naples News. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  11. ↑ Budick, Ariella (5 July 2004). "We know what we like" . Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  12. ↑ Sawaragi, Noriyuki (3 February 2024). "「評伝クリスチャン・ラッセン」／「とるにたらない美術」　美術に見下された者たちの逆襲　朝日新聞書評から" ["Biography of Christian Riese Lassen" / "Insignificant Art" - The Counterattack of Those Looked Down on by Art]. Asahi Shimbun Book Review. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  13. ↑ "Man gets probation for burglarizing home and damaging car". Maui News. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
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