Making a Collection: For the Future – Recent Acquisitions
Depicting People: Focus on Japanese Painting
This edition of the collection exhibition is made up of two sections.
In the first, “Making a Collection: For the Future – Recent Acquisitions,” we present a group of modern and contemporary Japanese art works, which in recent years have displayed an increasing depth, arranged according to four themes with an emphasis on acquisitions from the ’10s that are being shown for the first time. In the photography gallery, we feature three series by Tsuchida Hiromi dealing with Hiroshima along with Ishikawa Naoki’s “ARCHIPELAGO” series.
In accordance with the City of Yokohama’s collection policy, the Yokohama Museum of Art submits a list of potential acquisitions, which are considered in an annual meeting of the Acquisition Review Committee. In addition to obtaining works from collectors and citizens, some acquisitions were made by artists for exhibitions at the museum. And in some cases, a curator’s sustained research activities lead to the acquisition of a sizable group of works. Collecting outstanding works, introducing them from a variety of perspectives, and protecting them in an appropriate environment with a view to the future are all part of the museum’s mission.
In the second section, “Depicting People: Focus on Japanese Painting,” we present a diverse range of modern and contemporary works focusing on the human form. People have been an irresistible motif for artists throughout time and all over the world. As is clear from the “NUDE: ART FROM THE TATE COLLECTION” exhibition, Western artists were captivated by nudes and this eternal theme has persisted throughout the ages. In Japan, Kuroda Seiki’s Morning Toilette, which sparked a controversy surrounding nudes in 1895, marked the start of a struggle to depict the naked form according to Japanese natural and spiritual qualities. Even today, many artists try to meet the challenge of this subject. In addition to nudes, this section includes portraits depicting the features and characteristics of particular people, anonymous portraits that act as a mirror for the viewer’s mental state, and pictures of historical figures in which modern Nihon-ga (Japanese-style) painters set out to attain a certain ideal of beauty. We hope that you will consider the views of human beings and history that are contained in these works.
