About the Exhibition

Japanese-style painter Hishida Shunso (1874–1911) was born in Iida, Nagano Prefecture, and studied at Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko (now Tokyo University of the Arts). Aiming at creating Japanese-style painting for a new era under the mentorship of Japanese scholar Okakura Kakuzo (Tenshin), Shunso first tried to express spirituality through line drawing. Then, after experimenting with morotai that parted with expressivity of lines, eventually established his decorative style with the almost blank background. His Fallen Leaves (1909; collection of the Eisei Bunko Museum, Tokyo, entrusted to the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, Important Cultural Property) and Black Cat (1910; collection of the Eisei Bunko Museum, Tokyo entrusted to the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, Important Cultural Property) are widely known as masterpieces of modern Japanese art.

Celebrating the 140th anniversary of the painter’s birth, this retrospective gathers together 108 of his important pieces including four Important Cultural Properties. Presenting all the five pieces in the series Fallen Leaves, Black Cat and related works, pieces newly found during exhibition preparation, and many pieces shown for the first time in several decades, this retrospective will provide a unique opportunity to take a general view of Shunso’s creative career, and to appreciate anew the charm of the painter’s art.

Taking this opportunity, we have selected ten of Shunso’s paintings to conduct scientific researches into color materials in collaboration with researchers and collectors. In addition, we have been reviewing the presumed production dates of the painter’s works, using the styles of his signatures as clues and checking against his production notes that were made late in his life and discovered recently. Presenting the results of these activities, we hope this retrospective can lay a foundation for future researches into Shunso’s art, and contribute to modern art research in general.

About the Sections

Towards a Nihonga Artist: Depicting “Thoughts” 1890-1897

Towards “Morotai”: Depicting Air and Light 1898-1902

Towards Research on Coloring: Arranging the Colors 1903-1908

Towards Fallen Leaves and Black Cat: Whether or Not to Depict Perspective 1908-1911

Hours & Admissions

Location

Art Museum Special Exhibition Gallery

Location

2014.9.23(Tue)-11.3(Mon)
*Some pieces will be replaced during the exhibition period

Time

10:00-17:00 (Friday is 10:00-20:00)
*Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.

Closed

*Closed on Mondays (except October 13 and November 3) and October 14, 2014

Admission

Day ticket (Group of 20 persons or more)
Adults: ¥1,400 (1,000)
College / University students: ¥900 (600)
High school students: ¥400 (200)

*All prices include tax.
*Middle school age and under 15 are free of charge.
*Including the admission fee for Art and Printed Matter from the 1960s to the 1970s: Primarily from the Museum Collection and MOMAT Collection.
*Persons with disability and one person accompanying them are admitted free of charge.

Organizers

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Nikkei Inc.
NHK
NHK Promotions, Inc.

Sponsor

Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance Inc.
Daishinsha Inc.

Cooperation

ASAHI GLASS CO., LTD.

Transportation Access

3 minutes walk from 1b exit, Takebashi station, Subway Tozai Line (T-08)

Address: 3-1 Kitanomaru-koen, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8322

→ See also Access