Mythology and the Nude
Abstraction and Construction: Images of Industrialization and the City
The Nameless City: Anonymous Landscapes in Contemporary Photography
The Furniture of COMME des GARÇONS
[Exhibition closed] Yokohama in the Taisho and Showa Periods (Date: Nov.3, 2015-Jan.11, 2016)
The third edition of the Yokohama Museum of Art’s 2015 Collection Exhibition consists of four themes.
In the first, “Mythology and the Nude,” we examine how the depiction of nudity evolved in Europe and Japan in connection with mythology. In Western art, representation of the nude figure can be traced back to ancient Greece, and the depiction of gods and warriors as the embodiment of the ideal human physique. The nude female figure in particular was primarily manifested as the goddess Aphrodite (Venus), the symbol of beauty. The Renaissance saw the beginning of a long period in which the public display of female nudes was only permitted when dealing with a mythological subject. In the modern era, along with the flourishing of avant-garde art movements, these artistic restrictions eased to produce freer and more diverse themes and methods. Here, we present a wide range of nudes in three sections, “Gods as a Symbol of Beauty,” focusing on classical paintings up to the 19th century and pictorial photographs, “Gods as a Symbol of Change and Transformation,” showcasing modern paintings from the West, and “The Sacred and the Profane,” which includes "Nihon-ga" and Japanese contemporary works.
In “Abstraction and Construction: Images of Industrialization and the City,” we focus on the changing urban landscape and artists’ growing interest in machines and manufactured goods as society underwent rapid industrialization at the outset of the 20th century. Along with early 20th century European art movements, such as Constructivism, Dada, and Cubism, the first half, “Constructivism and the City,” is devoted to sculptures made of then new materials like plastic and aluminum, and paintings that incorporate an abstract structure. In the second half, “An Accumulation of Images,” we introduce late 20th-century works by artists who were primarily active in America, including examples of Neo-Dada, which concentrated on the symbolic aspects of industrial images, and Pop Art, which employed images symbolizing popular culture and consumer society that repeatedly appeared in the mass media.
In the next section, “The Nameless City: Anonymous Landscapes in Contemporary Photography,” we turn our attention to the anonymous landscapes depicted in contemporary Japanese photographs and videos, including photographs by NAKAHIRA Takuma, SEINO Yoshiko, YONEDA Tomoko, and a video installation by KANEUJI Teppei. In tandem with this display, we present furniture designed by the world-famous fashion brand COMME des GARÇONS, which has presented works by artists such as NAKAHIRA and SEINO in its flagship store.
In conjunction with the "Nakajima Kiyoshi Retrospective: Exploring the Kaleidoscopic World of an Innovative Nihonga Painter," which runs from November 3, 2015 to January 11, 2016, we present a small exhibit titled “Yokohama in the Taisho and Showa Periods.” Here, we showcase a valuable documentary that was shot in Yokohama some 100 years ago, and makuzu-ware ceramics by MIYAGAWA Kozan and others, which were produced in the city around the same time.
We hope that you will enjoy this exhibition highlighting some of the works in the Yokohama Museum of Art’s diverse collection.
