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The National The National The National The National Art Center, TokyoArt Center, TokyoArt Center, TokyoArt Center, TokyoSpecial Exhibition Gallery 1ESpecial Exhibition Gallery 1ESpecial Exhibition Gallery 1ESpecial Exhibition Gallery 1E

国立新美術館ニッポンの前衛

18年の軌跡具体

The Spirit of an EraThe Spirit of an EraThe Spirit of an EraThe Spirit of an Era

具体具体The Spirit of an EraThe Spirit of an Era

具体The Spirit of an EraThe Spirit of an Era

Kokuritsu-Shin-Bijutsukan Kokuritsu-Shin-Bijutsukan Kokuritsu-Shin-Bijutsukan Kokuritsu-Shin-Bijutsukan || Roppongi, Tokyo Roppongi, Tokyo Roppongi, Tokyo Roppongi, Tokyo

July4–September 10, 2012

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Exhibition Overview

Exhibition Details

The Gutai Art Association (or Gutai) was an avant-garde group

formed in 1954 by a collection of young artists living in the

Hanshin region that was led by the pioneering Kansai abstract

painter Yoshihara Jiro. (The group disbanded in 1972.) The name

“Gutai” was meant to “present concrete proof that our spirit is

free.” (The literal meaning of the word “gutai” is “concrete.”)

“Spirt” was considered to be specific to each individual but also

an abstract entity. Gutai’s leader Yoshihara Jiro relentlessly

demanded that the group’s members make art unlike any that

had ever existed in the past, and further, that these expres-

sions be abstract in nature. He also organized exhibitions to

show their work in parks, on stage, and in the sky. The members

responded by producing a succession of creative and innova-

tive works rooted in fantastic concepts. Although the artists’

activities were largely ignored in Japan at the time, the group

was highly acclaimed abroad and the name “GUTAI” came to

be widely recognized in the Western art world in the late ’50s.

After the group’s dissolution, a number of Gutai retrospectives

were held in European museums. In Japan, however, despite a

movement to reappraise the group that began gaining momen-

tum in the ’80s and a few retrospectives at museums in the

Kansai area, there has unfortunately never been an event held

in Tokyo that focused on the entirety of Gutai’s 18-year career

held in Tokyo. This will be the first. The ’50s and ’60s, the period

during which Gutai emerged, were notable for Japan’s miracu-

lous recovery, which was achieved through soaring economic

growth in the wake of the country’s defeat in World War II.

In this exhibition, we present a collection of approximately 150

works which, through an abundance of challenging spirit and

creative energy, function as a symbol of that era.

In this exhibition, we take a chronological look back at Gutai’s 18-year career. ―Part 1 | Prologue | 1954 ［Fig.01］

―Part 2 | The Creation of the “Unknown Beauty” | 1955–1957While on the one hand Yoshihara, the founder of Gutai, sternly directed

the group’s members to “make something that has never been made

before,” he also devised a series of unique plans, such as showing

their works in parks and on the stage, as a way of urging the artists to

evolve innovative concepts unlike anything that had ever existed

before in “art.” In this section, we introduce some of the countless works

that emerged as a result through a combination of reproductions that

were made in subsequent years and documentary photographs.

［Fig.02, 03］

―Part 3 | Mr. Gutai: Yoshihara JiroUnderlying Gutai’s activities was the artistic perspective of the group’s

absolute leader Yoshihara Jiro. Yoshihara’s views were cultivated as

a young man growing up in the Hanshinkan area (a residential district

located between Osaka and Kobe) in the 1920s and ’30s. In this section,

while looking back at Yoshihara’s pre-Gutai works, we trace the group’s

close links to the cultural and spiritual climate that thrived in the area

prior to the war. ―Part 4 | Gutai Goes International | 1957–1965In 1957, Gutai had a fateful meeting with the French art critic Michel

Tapié, the champion of Art Informel. Marveling at the group’s approach,

Tapié introduced Gutai’s works (in particular the more easily transportable

pieces such as paintings) in exhibitions and publications in Europe and

the U.S., and in the process, thrust the artists on to the international

stage. In this section, we focus on Gutai works that were shown

abroad during the period. ［Fig.04, 05］ 05

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Artists(Japanese syllabaly order)

Highlights of the Exhibition

1 | The Challenging Spirit and Creative Energy of the AgeNineteen fifty-five, the year in which Gutai was formally launched, marked the start of the economic boom that triggered Japan’s postwar

recovery. And 1972, the year in which the group was disbanded, was notable for the Oil Crisis, which signaled an end to economic expansion

in the country. In other words, the 18-year career of Gutai precisely overlaps with Japan’s period of high economic growth. The creative energy,

the challenging spirit to discover new forms of beauty, the idealistic notion of communicating with people in every country through art, and the

sense of originality that amazed the entire world, all of which led to the advent of Gutai’s works, continue to evoke a sense of brightness, brav-

ery, and vitality even today.―2 | The First Large-Scale Retrospective in TokyoAlthough there have been a number of retrospectives of Gutai’s work in the past, primarily in the Kansai region, there has not been a single

examination of the group in Tokyo since an exhibition that focused on a limited period of Gutai’s career that was held at the Shoto Museum of

Art in Shibuya in 1990. While there have been many opportunities to reappraise the group in the West in recent years, this exhibition is notable

as the first (and long-awaited) large-scale retrospective of Gutai to be held in Tokyo, where seeing the group’s actual works has been nearly

impossible. Moreover, the exhibition will only be presented in Tokyo.―3 | An Opportunity to Verify the True Nature of GutaiAs this exhibition deals with the entire 18-year span of Gutai’s career, from its formation to its dissolution, we have attempted to provide a

comprehensive introduction to the works of each member who was involved in each phase of the group in order to determine the true essence

of Gutai as a whole. As one of the most important avant-garde movements in Japanese art history, exactly what kind of group was Gutai?

What was the real significance of the group’s activities? What kind of historical, epochal, and cultural background did the group emerge from?

This exhibition sets out to answer a wide range of questions regarding the true nature of Gutai.―4 | Gutai Works Return to Japan for the First Time in 50 Years Previously Unseen Film Footage of the GroupAs the majority of Gutai’s works could not be sold in Japan at the time they were created, many were acquired by foreign collectors. Some of

these works were bought back in the ’80s, and are now housed in Japanese museum collections, but a large number are still owned by West-

ern museums and collectors. In this retrospective, we are pleased to present the first homecoming of some of these works in approximately

half a century. In addition, we will be screening some long-sought-after but only recently discovered newsreel footage of the historic 1st Gutai

Art Exhibition, held at Ohara Hall in Tokyo in 1955.

01 | IMAI Norio　

02 | IMANAKA Kumiko

03 | UEMAE Chiyu

04 | UKITA Yozo

05 | OHARA Kimiko

06 | ONODA Minoru

07 | KANAYAMA Akira

08 | KANNO Seiko

09 | KIKUNAMI Joji

10 | KITANI Shigeki

11 | KINASHI Aine

12 | SAKAMOTO Masaya

13 | SHIMAMOTO Shozo

14 | SHIRAGA Kazuo

15 | SHIRAGA Fujiko

16 | SUMI Yasuo

17 | TAI Satoshi

18 | TAKASAKI Motonao

19 | TANAKA Atsuko

20 | TANAKA Ryuji

21 | TSUBOUCHI Teruyuki

22 | NAOHARA Michimasa

23 | NASAKA Senkichiro

24 | NASAKA Yuko

25 | HORIO Akiko

26 | HORIO Sadaharu

27 | MAEKAWA Tsuyoshi

28 | MASANOBU Masatoshi

29 | MATSUTANI Takesada

30 | MATSUDA Yutaka

31 | MUKAI Shuji

32 | MURAKAMI Saburo

33 | MOTONAGA Sadamasa

34 | MORIUCHI Keiko

35 | YAMAZAKI Tsuruko

36 | YOSHIDA Toshio

37 | YOSHIDA Minoru

38 | YOSHIHARA Jiro

39 | YOSHIHARA Michio

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Yoshihara Jiro (center) with members of Gutai (in front of a work by Yamazaki Tsuruko), Ashiya Park, 1956. (Photo courtesy of Ashiya City Museum of Art & History)―Fig.02

Shiraga Kazuo in the process of making Challenging Mud. The half-naked artist entered the mud and used his entire body to create the work. Ohara Hall, Tokyo, 1955.(Photo courtesy of Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art)―Fig.03

Shimamoto Shozo creating a work by throwing bottles filled with paint at a canvas. Ohara Hall, Tokyo, 1956. (Photo courtesy of Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art)

Fig.04

Yoshihara Jiro with Michel Tapié at the Takashimaya Department Store in Namba, Osaka, 1958. (Photo courtesy of Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art)―Fig.05

Yoshihara Jiro (center) at the 6th Gutai Art Exhibition,the Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, 1958. (Photo courtesy of Ashiya City Museum of Art & History)―Fig.06

Display view of the 19th Gutai Art Exhibition, the Central Museum, Tokyo, 1967. (Photo courtesy of Ashiya City Museum of Art & History)

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Part 5 | New Developments | 1965–1971Although encountering Tapié provided Gutai with a host of opportu-

nities to participate in exhibitions in Japan and abroad, the group’s

work, which had originally placed a strong emphasis on actions and

materiality, gradually began to lose its freshness in the mid-’60s.

Seeing this as a dangerous development for a group that had made

its name on discovering unknown beauty, Yoshihara began actively

recruiting new members and working to reinvigorate Gutai. In this

section, we look at the works of these later members of the group. ［Fig.06］

―Part 6 | Epilogue | 1972

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［Symposium］

Reappraising Gutai in the Past and Present―Sat., July 14 from 13:00 to 17:00 | Doors open at 12:30 ―Speakers: KAWASAKI Koichi (independent curator), YURUGI Yasuhiro (art critic), Mattijs VISSER (director, Zero Foundation), Ming TIAMPO (associate professor, Carleton University; guest cocurator of Guggenheim Museum’s Gutai exhibition), and HIRAI Shoichi (curator in charge of this exhibition, the National Art Center, Tokyo)―In this discussion, with presentations by those who have been involved in organizing Gutai exhibitions, we will examine how attempts to

reappraise the group in the wake of its dissolution in 1972 developed in Japan and abroad, and how Gutai’s work is currently viewed.

［Round-Table Discussion］

Gutai as Seen from the Perspective of the 3Ms―Sat., August 4 from 14:00 to 15:30 | Doors open at 13:30 ―MAEKAWA Tsuyoshi, MATSUTANI Takesada, and MUKAI Shuji (all former members of Gutai)―The three artists, who became members of Gutai one after another in the early ’60s, came to be known as the 3Ms due to the fact that their

surnames all began with the letter “m.” In this event, they will relate a variety of episodes connected to their time in the group and share their

personal perspectives on Gutai.―All events will be held in the auditorium on the third floor of the National Art Center, Tokyo. Limited to 260 people (first-come, first served);

admission is free but participants are required to show an exhibition ticket (or ticket stub).

Time and content of events are subject to change without notice.

For details and the latest information on related events, see the museum website.

Regular ¥1,000 (General) ¥500 (University Students)

Advance ¥800 (General) ¥300 (University Students)

Group ¥800 (General) ¥300 (University Students)―Visitors who are under 18, including high school students, and disabled people with ID booklets (along with one assistant) will be admitted free.

Group tickets will only be available at the venue (discounts only applicable to groups of 20 or more).

Visitors who present a ticket or ticket stub from another exhibition currently underway at the National Art Center, Tokyo, Suntory Museum of

Art or Mori Art Museum (the three facilities that make up the Roppongi Art Triangle) will be eligible for the group discount. ―Tickets (both advance and regular) are available through Ticket Pia (P-Code: 765-133), and Lawson Ticket (L-Code: 32349). Service charges may apply.

Advance tickets can be purchased through the above services from Wed., April 25 to Tue., July 3, 2012,

but will only be available at the National Art Center, Tokyo from Wed., May 16 to Mon., July 2, 2012. ―Dates and times of the exhibition are subject to change. For details and the latest information on related events,

see the museum website.

Related Events

Tickets (tax. incl.)

Map

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The National Art Center, Tokyo7-22-2 RoppongiMinato-ku,Tokyo, 106-8558, JapanTEL. 03-5777-8600 (toll-free)URL http://www.nact.jp

―［Access］

Direct access from Exit 6 (in the direction of Aoyama Cemetery) of Nogizaka Station (C05) on the Chiyoda Line of the Tokyo Metro 5-min. walk from Exit 4a of Roppongi Station(H04) on the Hibiya Line of the Tokyo Metro4-min. walk from Exit 7 of Roppongi Station (E23) on the Toei Oedo Subway Line

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List of Image Data for Press Use―GUTAI | The Spirit of an Era―We are pleased to offer a number of different images of the works on display to help promote the exhibition. If you would like to receive one (or more), please fill out the attached form and return it to us by fax (e-mail requests will also be honored).Please refrain from using the images included in the press release without prior permission.

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Photo Credit

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YOSHIHARA JiroRed Circle on Black―1965 acrylic on canvas, 181.5cm×227.0cmHyogo Prefectural Museum of Art

MURAKAMI SaburoWork ―1958 oil on canvas, 184.1cm×146.0cm Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art　

MOTONAGA SadamasaWork ―1962acrylic paint, canvas, and wood panels, 172.0cm×229.3cmHyogo Prefectural Museum of Art (Yamamura Collection)

MATSUTANI TakesadaWork ’65 ―1965 vinyl on canvas, 182.2cm×142.6cm Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art

YOSHIDA MinoruJust Curve ’67 Cosmoplastic ―1967 stainless steel, plexiglass, fluorescent lights, motor, etc. 270.0cm×150.0cm×175.0cm Takamatsu City Museum of Art

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©Makiko Murakami

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Application Form for Image Data and Ticket Giveaway for Press Use―GUTAI | The Spirit of an Era　

Public Relations Division

Fax. 03-3405-2532

E-mail pr@nact.jp

I would like to receive data for the following images.(Please check the number of the images you would like to receive.)

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I would like to receive exhibitions tickets to use as a giveaway in my publication (please check the box below).

□ Ten pairs of tickets (total of 20)

When making use of photographs, we kindly ask that you observe the following guidelines.

1. Photos of the art works are intended only for the promotion of the exhibition. Please do not use them after the exhibition has ended.

2. When using a photograph, please include the entire credit (either in English or Japanese) as provided. (Please refer to list of image data.)

3. Please do not trim or superimpose text on the photos.

4. Please submit your manuscript to us by fax or e-mail before it is published, so that we can ascertain the accuracy of the factual information.

5. After the article is published, please submit a copy of your article to us. In addition, we ask that the editorial office of your publication oversee

the issuing of giveaway tickets after you receive them in the mail.

For inquiries or more information, please contact:

ISHIMATSU Keiko, KUBOTA Chie

Public Relations Division

The National Art Center, Tokyo

Tel. 03-6812-9925 Fax. 03-3405-2532 E-mail pr@nact.jp

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Tickets will be sent out in early June. Please provide us with the mailing address at which you would like to receive them.

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