Myth-Maker of the Brothel: Utamaro's woodblock prints

His French counterpart would probably be Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, though he was born later (1864).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_de_Toulouse-Lautrec

Speaking of this, Utamaro's artwork is featured in one of the Freer Sackler Smithsonian Museum of Art on the Mall in Washington DC.

They have an extensive amount of his artwork on display, including 3 of his largest paintings.

I'm unsure when they're going to take it down. The exhibit was exquisitely done... But my own personal tastes - I dont like the artform. But there definitely is tremendous skill.