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Collection GalleryThe 1st Collection Gallery Exhibition 2015-2016 (108 works in all)

Collection Gallery

The 1st Collection Gallery Exhibition 2015-2016 (108 works in all)

Exhibition Period

3. 27 (Fri) - 5. 31 (Sun), 2015

First Period :   March 27 (Fri) - April 26 (Sun), 2015
Second Period : April 28 (Tue) - May 31 (Sun), 2015

Overview

 The first collection gallery exhibition of this year was started after the completion of a 4-month-long renovation work in the museum building. This renovation involved changing almost all of the lighting equipment to LED lights. In particular, more lighting ducts were added to the ceiling of the exhibition room, and with the exception of the previously existing wall glass cases, the latest LED lighting equipment was installed, thus creating a better viewing environment. Although the illumination is controlled and intentionally darkened to protect the artwork, LED lights ensure a clear and detailed viewing environment for visitors.

 The first collection gallery exhibition features artwork related to our special exhibition on the third floor entitled “Guess What? Hardcore Contemporary Art is Truly a World Treasure: Selected Works from the YAGEO Foundation Collection” and the large-scale international exhibition of contemporary art entitled “Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015” which is being held throughout Kyoto City including Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art from March 7 (Sat) through May 10 (Sun). The works displayed in this exhibition are from our contemporary art collections, and were created by artists who have taken part in both above-mentioned exhibitions, such as Thomas Struth, William Kentridge, Ana Torfs, Morimura Yasumasa, Yanagi Miwa and Kasahara Emiko.

 As stated in the title "PARASIGHT," the subordinate relationships between "those who see” and "that which is seen," and between "those who make" and "that which is made” are intentionally shifted, rotated, or segmented, eventually arousing criticism of the familiar, real world. As represented in Marcel Duchamp’s "Fountain," these artists have constantly asked the fundamental question of what art is all about.

 The section of Nihonga (Japanese-style paintings) features spring-like paintings under the title of "Japanese-style paintings of spring scenes." In the first period of the exhibition, fascinating works such as "Crows and Cherry Blossoms" by Kikuchi Hobun, and "Two Dancing Maiko Girls" by Murakami Kagaku, both of which center on beautiful "cherry blossoms" are being displayed. In the second period of the exhibition, paintings with a motif of "peonies" painted by Fukuda Heihachiro and Yamaguchi Hachikushi, and those with sceneries of late spring and fresh verdure will be displayed. Furthermore, paintings of Ito Nisaburo, who was born into a Kyoto merchant’s household, studied under Tsuchida Bakusen, and pursued his artistic career for as long as 80 years, have been featured in commemoration of the 110th anniversary of his birth.

KIKUCHI, Hobun Crows and Cherry Blossoms
KIKUCHI Hobun,
Crows and Cherry Blossoms,
Late Meiji Period
(First Period)
Nishimura, Goun Deer in Early Summer
Nishimura Goun,
Deer in Early Summer,
1938
(Second Period)

 In the craft section, ceramic works created in the 1970s from both Japan and the United States are featured under the title "Contemporary Ceramics - Around the 1970s." The ceramic works during this period presented a variety of contemporary artistic directions such as “pop art” and "conceptual art," which cannot be interpreted within the existent framework of "ism." Furthermore, a number of masterpieces by Kawai Kanjiro from his early years during the Taisho period have been selected from the Kawakatsu Collection, one of our representative collections, for display.

Robert ARNESON Cup Sinking in Saucer
Robert ARNESON,
Cup Sinking in Saucer, 1971
©Estate of Robert Arneson / VAGA, New York / JASPAR, Tokyo, 2015 E1587

 In the western-style paintings section, "Peacock and a Woman," which is one of the most representative paintings by Yasui Sotaro in his early years and was added to our collection last year, is on display. Painted during his student days in Paris, it clearly shows the influence of new European paintings such as those by Cézanne in the expression of the skin color of a woman in the nude and background processing, while retaining the traditional and academic composition of "a nude woman lying on a bed." Works by other painters who studied in Paris and other paintings by Yasui Sotaro during his student days have also been presented for further study of the meaning of this well-known painting.

YASUI, Sotaro Peacock and a Woman
YASUI Sotaro,
Peacock and a Woman, 1914
OTA, Kijiro Splitting Wood
OTA Kijiro,
Splitting Wood, 1915

 In the entrance to the venue, works by the Kyoto-born western-style painter, Ota Kijiro are also being displayed. His pre-war works featuring pointillism can be compared with works by other famed painters of pointillism, such as Pissarro and Signac.

Themes of Exhibition

  • ・OTA Kijiro and Fascination of Pointllism
  • ・110th Birthday Anniversary: ITO Nisaburo
  • ・Japanese-Style Paintings with Spring Scenes
  • ・Contemporary Ceramics―Around the 1970s
  • ・Selected Works of KAWAI Kanjiro
  • ・Centering on Peacock and a Woman by YASUI Sotaro
  • ・PARASIGHT:From the Collection of Contemporary Art
  • ・[Outside] Outdoor sculpture

List of Exhibits

The 1st Collection Gallery Exhibition 2015-2016 (First)
The 1st Collection Gallery Exhibition 2015-2016 (Second)

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