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Collection Gallery

4th Collection Gallery Exhibition 2024–2025

2024.12.06 fri. - 03.09 sun.

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Piet MONDRIAN: The Road to Composition Piet MONDRIAN, Composition, 1929

Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) is best known for paintings constructed entirely out of vertical and horizontal lines, and neutral and primary colors. But he did not start out making abstract works. Mondrian’s early influences were the Hague School, a group of artists active in the eponymous Dutch city during the late 19th century, and the Impressionists. Mondrian’s work Trees along the Gein, for example, makes use of the somber colors associated with the Hague School, and brushwork that recalls the Impressionists. Also, as is clear from the signature in the lower right, the artist was still using the original spelling of his surname (Mondriaan).

Following a devotion to theosophy and a baptism in Cubism, Mondrian gradually drifted away from figurative painting. And the rich cultural experiences he enjoyed while living in Paris provided him with new artistic inspiration. In his work Composition (c. 1916), it is difficult to discern what is being depicted.

In 1917, Mondrian became a founding member of De Stijl, a group headed by Theo van Doesburg, and a proponent of Neoplasticism, the group’s theoretical pillar. This led Mondrian to limit himself to the elements of vertical and horizontal lines, and neutral and primary colors in order to make paintings that embodied balance and universality. In 1925, after De Stijl agreed to allow the use of diagonal lines, Mondrian left the group, feeling that his artistic theories were on a different wavelength. His post-De Stijl work Composition, made in 1929, is part of a titular series that became synonymous with the artist.

Later, in an effort to escape the threat of Nazism, Mondrian moved to London before seeking refuge from the ravages of war in New York. Attracted by the boogie-woogie rhythm and geometrical layout of the city, Mondrian developed a fondness for vibrant compositions using primary colors rather than black, but continued to stand by his original principles.

This year, 2024, marks the 80th anniversary of Piet Mondrian’s death. Here, we focus on three works, from an early landscape to Composition, as a means of retracing the artist’s career as a painter.


KAINOSHO Tadaoto: The 130th Anniversary of His Birth KAINOSHO Tadaoto, Mound of Beasts (Chikushozuka), c.1915

Kainosho Tadaoto (1894-1978), born in Kyoto, is known as an artist of multiple talents whose long career spanned several eras of modern Japanese history. He gained renown as a painter in the 1910s and 1920s, and after meeting the film director Mizoguchi Kenji in 1939, he became involved in the movie industry, including carrying out historical research on costumes.

In 1908, after finishing his first year at Kyoto Prefectural Kyoto Dai-ichi Junior High School, the frequently ailing Kainosho transferred to the design department of Kyoto City Technical School of Art. After graduating in 1912, he advanced to the Kyoto City Technical School of Painting, where he was inspired by Western art and particularly admired Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and William Blake. In 1918, when Kokuga Sosaku Kyokai (The Association for the Creation of National Painting) was established by Tsuchida Bakusen, Ono Chikkyo, and Murakami Kagaku, Kainosho was invited by Murakami to participate in its inaugural exhibition, where he gained attention with his work Side Comb (Kabuki Play: Yokogushi) (collection of the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum). Over the next decade, he produced many ambitious paintings which were shown at the association’s seven exhibitions. Following the dissolution of Kokuga Sosaku Kyokai in 1928 he formed Shinju-sha, which could be described as a successor organization, and played an active role in the group’s management, his home doubling as an office. Kainosho’s works are characterized by masterful expression of eeriness and dread through chiaroscuro, and compellingly capture fleeting moments. In this sense, they echo qualities of the works of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

After Shinju-sha gradually disbanded in 1931, due largely to the departure of members, Kainosho took part in the production of Mizoguchi Kenji’s The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums, released in 1939. Kainosho was aged 45 at the time, and spent the latter stage of his career in the film industry, retiring at the age of 71 in 1965.


Koloman Moser’s Decorative Design and Fin-de-siècle Vienna Koloman MOSER, Surface Ornament [The Source(Die Quelle), Portfolio 3], 1902

In 1897, the Vienna Secession (formally known as the Union of Austrian Artists) was formed by the painter Gustav Klimt and a group of budding artists. In an effort to rebel against the authoritarian structure of the Viennese art world at the time, the artists strove to create exhibitions based on the “criterion of adopting a purely artistic viewpoint free of any commercial temperament.” The group’s slogan, “To the age its art, to art its freedom,” is inscribed over the entrance to the Association of Visual Artists Vienna Secession, a venue designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich as a base for the artists’ exhibitions.

Along with organizing exhibitions, the artists published an official magazine called Ver Sacrum (Sacred Spring) in which they stressed the importance of conveying new artistic styles and ideas to the public. Dealing with a wide range of content on art, architecture, literature, music and other subjects, the publication also contained organic designs based on simplified natural motifs, and plates of woodblock prints and graphic works, which were inspired by Japanese ukyio-e. Koloman Moser was among the founders of both the Vienna Secession and the 1903 Wiener Werkstätte workshops, and through his involvement in fields such as painting, printmaking, design, interior design, furniture, and architecture, he made a major mark on the design world.

Here, we present an overview of Moser’s activities, including prints, the original pictures on which the prints were based, book jackets and designs, design collections, and rare marbled works. The printmaker and photographer Martin Gerlach also supported the Secessionists through his work as a Vienna-based publisher at a time when printing technology such as color printing and photographic reproduction was evolving. In a series of design collections called Die Quelle (The Source), Gerlach actively promoted the work of Carl Otto Czeschka, Max Benirschke, and other young artists of the era.

These works were amassed by Hiraaki Akira, the founder of the apparel maker Cabin. In fiscal 2015, the museum acquired Hiraaki’s collection of 302 pieces, comprised prints, sketches, design drawings, and books from Fin-de-siècle Vienna. We hope that you will enjoy savoring the spirit of these artists who longed for changes in art and set out to permeate people’s daily lives through familiar things.


Wood, Lacquer, Bamboo Crafts MATSUDA Gonroku, Two Tier Table with Bamboo and Sparrow Design, Maki-e and Bachiru Inlay, 1968

In conjunction with the Kuroda Tatsuaki exhibition currently on view, we present wood, lacquer, and bamboo craft works from the museum’s collection. In these fields, the production of high-quality works requires the skills of artists who have mastered sophisticated techniques at every stage of the process. This has traditionally involved division of labor, with different artists handling carefully subdivided stages of woodworking, lacquering, and surface decoration such as maki-e (designs rendered in gold or silver powder on lacquer). At the same time, many artists apply these same refined techniques to their own independent works, and the creative range of the artists involved seems to parallel the diversity of expression seen in a given medium.

Takeuchi Hekigai, trained in Kyo sashimono wood joinery, primarily produced commissioned works reflecting a literati aesthetic. Meanwhile, generations of the Chiku’unsai family based in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture have flourished alongside the rise of sencha tea culture, also favored by literati, establishing unique styles that highlight the natural forms of bamboo roots or ingeniously adapt antique bows and arrows.

Nakagawa Kiyotsugu, a pupil of Hekigai, embraced a challenge posed by Kuroda Tatsuaki: “Why not remove the hoops and bottom from a wooden bucket?” In response, he expanded his family’s time-honored craft by creating geometric wood patterns that juxtapose straight grains.

Techniques are handed down through a master-apprentice lineage, as in the case of Suzuki Hyosaku I, who studied under Kimura Hyosai II and carries on the traditions of the Hyo School of Kyoto lacquer artists. In this context, Suzuki Mutsumi, the second son of Hyosaku II, is pioneering new forms by bending extremely thin wood substrates and solidifying them with lacquer.

The practice of designating Important Intangible Cultural Properties began after World War II, as the number of artisans dwindled and rapid industrialization accompanied postwar reconstruction. In 1955, artists such as Matsuda Gonroku and Takano Shozan (both recognized for maki-e), Otomaru Kodo (choshitsu [lacquer carving]), and Mae Taiho (chinkin [gilded line engraving]), were named holders of Important Intangible Cultural Properties (commonly known as Living National Treasures). In Matsuda Gonroku’s Two Tier Table with Bamboo and Sparrow Design, Maki-e and Bachiru Inlay, the bachiru technique of dyeing and carving designs in ivory is used to create a charming relief depicting three sparrows pecking at seeds.

Since the Craft as Art section was added in 1927 to the Teiten (Imperial Art Exhibition), precursor of the present-day Nitten (Japan Fine Art Exhibition), these events have been important venues for exhibition of crafts. The Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition, which was launched in 1954 and has been open to public submissions since its seventh edition, is also a vital platform for artists exploring diverse approaches to collectively refine their skills.


TOMIMOTO Kenkichi and KAWAI Kanjiro TOMIMOTO Kenkichi, Large Ornamental Jar with Ferns Design, Overglaze Enamels and Gold, 1960

When Kuroda Tatsuaki decided, in his youth, to pursue a career as an individual artist (carrying out every stage of his working process, as opposed to the traditional division of labor in crafts), this creative direction was profoundly influenced by Tomimoto Kenkichi and Kawai Kanjiro.

Tomimoto is celebrated as a pioneer of modern and contemporary ceramics, and was recognized as a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property (Living National Treasure) for iroe (overglaze enamel) porcelain in 1955. He is known for his lifelong exploration of original expression, encapsulated by his motto: “Don’t make patterns from other patterns.” Indeed, it was his approach to pattern-making, rooted in drawing from nature, that set him apart. He rejected the conventional process, which involved adapting pre-ordained motifs known as benka to a particular style and then applying them to various crafts, seeking instead to express the vitality of nature as directly as possible in his designs. As a ceramicist, Tomimoto constantly broadened his creative range while enhancing the sophistication of his works through techniques such as sometsuke (underglaze blue), white porcelain, and overglaze enamels, some of which incorporated gold and silver. Through the interplay of patterns and forms, he established an inimitable style of ceramics as three-dimensional art.

After graduating from Tokyo Higher Technical School (now the Institute of Science Tokyo), Kawai Kanjiro worked as a technician at the Kyoto Research Institute for Ceramics, devoting himself to research on tens of thousands of glazes. After leaving the institute to become an independent ceramicist, he held his first solo exhibition in 1921, adopting a distinctive style influenced by Chinese and Korean ceramics which earned such acclaim that he was compared to “a national treasure.” However, he subsequently changed course dramatically, and through participating in the Mingei (folk craft) movement, he integrated his ceramics closely into everyday life. Kawai’s works grew ever more formally ambitious as he aged, brimming with a spirit of celebration of life.

Speaking of Tomimoto, Kuroda Tatsuaki recalled that “learning there were such committed, creative artists in the field of ceramics greatly strengthened my own convictions,” and of Kawai, he frequently recounted the stunning impact and deep emotion he experienced upon a chance encounter with Kawai’s work in his youth.


TAKEHISA Yumeji: The 140th Anniversary of the Artist’s Birth and The 90th Anniversary of the Artist’s Death TAKEHISA Yumeji, Nine Linking Rings, c.1928

Takehisa Yumeji, renowned as a graphic designer and illustrator in the early 20th century, is still cherished today as a figure exemplifying the Taisho Romanticist aesthetic (the Taisho era lasted from 1912 until 1926).

His richly lyrical portrayals of women gained such popularity that the term “Yumeji-style beauties” became widely known, but he began his career producing satirical illustrations for the newspaper of the Heimin-sha group established by Kotoku Shusui, and fundamentally, an avant-garde spirit always pervaded his works. He was attuned to developments in modern art from Impressionism onward, and his interests broadened to encompass the most forward-looking artistic movements of his time, such as Russian Futurism and abstract painting. Later in life, he traveled to Hawaii, the US mainland, and on to Germany, where he conducted a workshop on Nihonga (Japanese-style painting). It was held at the Itten-Schule in Berlin, founded by Johannes Itten, an artist and art educator formerly affiliated with the Bauhaus. Yumeji’s incorporation of a thoroughly contemporary sensibility into an elegant, somewhat archaic style reminiscent of ukiyo-e prints made his illustrations and designs highly appealing to modernist youth from the 1910s through the 1930s. The stylistic diversity of his Senoo Gakufu sheet music cover art series, among his best-known works, reflects his enduring fascination with both Eastern and Western painting traditions of various eras.

This museum’s holdings include an extensive collection of works amassed by Kawanishi Hide, of which many are prints with an avant-garde sensibility, and Takehisa Yumeji’s works form the bulk of this collection. This year, which marks 140 years since Yumeji’s birth, 90 years since his death, and 130 years since the birth of Kawanishi Hide, we are pleased to exhibit selected masterworks from the Yumeji collection assembled by Kawanishi.


Culture – Nature

In Skylight, the square room in the center of the collection gallery, and the space in front of it, we present a group of works that prompt us to think more deeply about the relationship between human beings and nature.

Born in Germany in 1944, Lothar Baumgarten (d. 2018) took a critical view of modern Western social structures and ideas in opposition to people’s inability to stop war and the Holocaust. His series of photographic works were all shot in the town where Baumgarten lived, a nearby forest or the artist’s studio. Among other things, they capture a trace of an action performed with bird feathers, a symbol of the Western outdoors, while the other document depicts a disappearing sculpture consisting of pigments piled up in the shape of a pyramid. By combining actions and objects from disparate contexts in his images, Baumgarten encourages us to reflect on human-derived classifications and categories – for example, dichotomies such as culture and nature, and Western and non-Western.

According to the artist Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930-2017), “It is from fiber that all living organisms are built.” The plant fiber that she used in her works is a material that symbolizes life itself. In Black Garment , a piece handwoven by the artist out of sisal hemp, we sense the absence of a body in the large cavity that expands within the form.

While Abakanowicz engaged in a dialogue with the complex history of her native Poland, Hasegawa Kiyoshi (1891-1980) made elaborate and highly poetic works that provided us with deeper insight into plants and nature in the wake of the war. Also included in this section are deeply expressive works in which nature and artistry act in concert with each other. For example, Max Ernst (1891-1976), who compiled stories out of images he made by rubbing wood grains and plants; Lee Ufan (b. 1936), who marked the passage of time by minutely drilling holes into a piece of wood; Saito Shigeyoshi (1904-2001), who used a drill to chip and draw a line in a board; and Hashimoto Noriko (b. 1939), who created a number of spaces inside some wood.


Exhibition Period 2024.12.06 fri. - 03.09 sun.

Themes of Exhibition Piet MONDRIAN: The Road to Composition
KAINOSHO Tadaoto: The 130th Anniversary of His Birth
Koloman Moser’s Decorative Design and Fin-de-siècle Vienna
Wood, Lacquer, Bamboo Crafts
TOMIMOTO Kenkichi and KAWAI Kanjiro
TAKEHISA Yumeji: The 140th Anniversary of the Artist’s Birth and The 90th Anniversary of the Artist’s Death
Culture – Nature
[Outside] Outdoor Sculptures

List of Works 4th Collection Gallery Exhibition 2024–2025 (187 works in all) (PDF)

Free Audio Guide App How to use Free Audio Guide (PDF)

Hours 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
*Fridays: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
*Admission until 30 min before closing.

Admission Adult: 430 yen (220 yen)
University students: 130 yen (70 yen)
High school students or younger,seniors (65 and over): Free
*Figures in parentheses are for groups of 20 or more.

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Collection Gallery Free Admission Days December 7, 14, 2024, March 8, 2025

List of Works 4th Collection Gallery Exhibition 2024–2025 (187 works in all) (PDF)

Free Audio Guide App How to use Free Audio Guide (PDF)

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