Masterpiece exhibition "The World Depicted by Ryuko Kawabata: Celebrating 140 Years Since His Birth" to be held

2025/03/01Exhibition

Masterpiece Exhibition "The World Depicted by Ryuko Kawabata: Celebrating 140 Years Since Her Birth"
Date: February 2025th (Sat) - March 3rd (Sun), 29

Introduction of exhibition contents

　This year marks the 1885th anniversary of the birth of Japanese painter Ryushi Kawabata (1966-140). The "Ryushi Kawabata Exhibition," held at the Toyama Prefectural Ink Art Museum and the Iwate Prefectural Museum of Art last year, will travel to the Shimane Museum of Art and the Hekinan City Fujii Tatsukichi Museum of Contemporary Art (Aichi) this year. In addition, the Ryushi Memorial Museum and the adjacent former residence of Ryushi Kawabata have been registered as tangible cultural properties (buildings) by the country, and his achievements are gaining recognition in many areas. In commemoration of the 140th anniversary of Ryushi's birth, this exhibition will introduce the world that Ryushi created throughout his life, focusing on his representative works from the museum's collection.
　Looking back on Ryushi's career as an artist, the Japanese painter Togyu ​​Okumura (1889-1990), who was a friend of his, commented that "he died having completed his life's work, following his own path." Similarly, Shinsui Ito (1898-1972) said, "he boldly stuck to his principles and followed them to the end." What on earth did these two great masters say Ryushi had accomplished? In his final years, the writer Haruo Sato praised Ryushi, saying, "There have been many masters and virtuosos in our art world since the Meiji era, but the only one who truly deserves to be called a master is probably Kawabata Ryushi." This exhibition looks back on his career in three periods: "The Challenge to the Masterpiece Movement," "The Founding of Seiryusha and 'Venue Art,'" and "Works in His Later Years." Enjoy the world of Kawabata Ryushi through his masterpieces such as "Itten Goji" (3), the monumental work that marked the beginning of Ryushi's pursuit of large-scale works, "Korobō" (1927), which depicts a fighter plane during the Sino-Japanese War, "Bomb Scattering" (1939), which symbolizes the end of the war and the tragedy of war, and "Ryūshi-Gaki" (1945), which turns a fence that he himself designed into a work of art.

Co-hosting Reina Yabo's art exhibition "Crawling" (all periods)

This exhibition will be held in conjunction with "Crawling," an exhibition of works by Reina Yabo, who was the museum's first artist-in-residence in 2023 (Reiwa 5). Works by contemporary artists depicting the images they have captured in their studio at the former Kawabata Ryushi Residence will add new color to the studio and exhibition room.

* Viewing artworks in the atelier
The works in the atelier can be viewed from the perimeter during park guided tours three times a day.
You can enter the atelier to view the exhibits on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays from 11:30 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 14:00 (first 15 people per session) *Excluding when events are held.
Advance registration here

Talk sessionン
Date and time: August 5th (Sun) 18:13-30:15
Reina Yaho x Kenichi Okayasu (videographer) Satoshi Koganezawa (curator) x Takuya Kimura (deputy director of the museum)
Click here to apply

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 ・[Press Release] Masterpiece Exhibition "The World Depicted by Ryuko Kawabata: Celebrating 140 Years Since Her Birth"
・[Flyer] Masterpiece Exhibition "The World Depicted by Ryuko Kawabata: Celebrating 140 Years Since Her Birth"
・[DM] Reina Yaho Exhibition "Kehau"
・[Liszt] Masterpiece Exhibition "The World Depicted by Ryuko Kawabata: Celebrating 140 Years Since His Birth"

 

Main exhibits

Exhibition information

Session	29th February 2025(Saturday) - 22th May (Sunday)
Museum Hours of Operation	9: 00-16: 30 (Admission until 16:00)
Museum Holidays	Mondays (open on May 5th (Monday, national holiday) and May 5th (Tuesday, public holiday), closed on May 5th (Wednesday))
Museum Admissions Fee	General: 200 yen Junior high school students and younger: 100 yen *Admission is free for children aged 65 and over (proof required), preschool children, and those with a disability certificate and one caregiver.
Information on Ryuko Park	10:00, 11:00, 14:00 * The gate will open at the above time and you can observe it for 30 minutes.
Gallery talk	開催日：3月30日（日）、4月20日（日）、5月5日(月・祝)、5月25日（日）、6月22日（日） From 13:00 each day (approximately 40 minutes) Please come directly to the venue.
Venue	Ota Ward Ryuko Memorial Hall