8 entries, with sources
Hashiguchi Goyō·1920
Jobs was captivated by this shin-hanga portrait, buying two original prints from the Matsuoka Gallery in Tokyo—one for his home, one for Apple—and chose this exact high-resolution scan to demonstrate the Macintosh's graphics at its 1984 unveiling.
Reported by NHK WORLD-JAPAN and gallery director Matsuoka Norikazu, documenting Jobs's purchases in 1983–1984 and its use in the 1984 Mac introduction demo.
Kawase Hasui·1951
This print of a tree framed against falling water was the piece that first sparked Jobs's teenage fascination with Japanese woodblock prints, studied repeatedly at the Fernandez family home.
Recounted by Bambi Fernandez and Bill Fernandez (Apple employee #4), at whose childhood home Jobs regularly viewed the family's Hasui print collection.
Kawase Hasui·1937
Jobs specifically requested this rare pre-WWII print of soldiers on horseback under a crimson sky, the only time he arrived at the Matsuoka Gallery with an advance request rather than browsing available stock.
Described by art dealer Matsuoka Norikazu, who noted the gallery had to search Japan to source the print after Jobs's specific request.
Yukio Shakunaga·c. 1999
Jobs was moved by the tactile warmth and rounded contours of Shakunaga's porcelain at a Kyoto exhibition, telling the potter that rounded corners made objects feel intuitive to hold; he maintained a decade-long relationship, commissioning custom teacups, mugs, and plates to precise sizing.
Yukio Shakunaga gave detailed interviews describing Jobs's repeat visits to his Kyoto exhibition and four separate custom commissions over ten years.
Takahashi Rakusai V·2010
On one of his final trips to Japan, Jobs visited the Shigaraki kiln master to study natural ash-glaze effects, selecting Rakusai's finest large unglazed stoneware bowl and commissioning tea ware with unpredictable kiln finishes.
Recounted by fifth-generation master potter Takahashi Rakusai regarding Jobs's 2010 visit to his Kōka studio.
16th century
While handling this antique crouching-style jar in Kyoto, Jobs repeatedly called it 'sublime,' citing its smooth curved clay shoulder as the tactile benchmark he wanted hardware designers to replicate on device casings.
Documented by Japanese ceramic art specialist Robert Yellin, who guided Jobs through a private tour of historic pottery collections.
Pablo Picasso·1945
Jobs made Picasso's eleven-lithograph sequence, showing a bull reduced step by step to pure contour lines, a cornerstone of the Apple University curriculum he helped develop to teach designers and engineers how to strip away non-essential detail.
Reported in accounts of Apple University lectures and internal design training materials associated with Jobs and Randy Nelson.
Ansel Adams·1941
Jobs is said to have hung an original Ansel Adams silver gelatin print in his office and homes, admiring the fusion of technical darkroom precision with artistic vision, though detailed sourcing for this specific claim is thin.
General claim repeated across secondary accounts and a blog post; no primary documentation ties Jobs specifically to this print beyond passing mention.