Exhibits

The Power of Models

Here, models are reclining and adopting bold poses as the mood takes them. The image of reclining women has been a constant in the history of Western painting. In such poses, women were manifestations of ideal beauty but they were also frequently depicted as vulnerable women who are the object of the male gaze. However, Amedeo Modigliani’s nude, in which the subject is staring provocatively at the viewer, Yorozu’s reclining nude beauty who stares at the viewer with scorn, and Henri Matisse’s odalisque, the subject of which seems to be completely unaware that she is being observed, all repel the viewer’s gaze and are imbued with a sense of empowerment, with each woman proud of her beauty.

The Imaginary Garden

Plants cover the entire canvas in each of these works, and in fact all three artists share a deep connection with plants. Raoul Dufy, who lived near a botanical garden, created countless textile designs featuring plant and animal motifs, Tsuji Hisashi, influenced by a father who loved plants, at one stage wanted to become a botanist, and André Bauchant, before becoming an artist, ran a horticultural business before teaching himself to paint. The artists positioned their depictions of favored flowers, fruit, and animals on the canvas in an almost rhythmical fashion as they allowed their imaginations to take full flight, creating a world that can be described as an imaginary garden that only exists in the work. These decorative paintings, filled with flowers and grasses, are imbued with something akin to mysticism, and we can almost smell the flowers and fruit.

Between Reality and Unreality

There is a common thread between this trio of works, in that each artist has referenced a painting from the past, incorporating, into the work, what can be described as a clone of the artist, resulting in a space which lies between reality and unreality. Victor Brauner had moved to 2 bis Rue Perrel, where Henri Rousseau had once lived, and this inspired him to have his Conglomeros (a being with a giant head, two bodies, and six arms) appear in Rousseau’s work The Snake Charmer (1907, Musée d’Orsay, Paris). Meanwhile, René Magritte’s work often features a man in a top hat, and in this work he has superimposed, on top of this image, the flower goddess Flora from Botticelli’s Primavera (c. 1482, Uffizi Gallery, Florence). In the work by Arimoto Toshio, drawn to the early Renaissance frescoes painted by artists such as Piero della Francesca, a classical female figure which is portrayed in numerous works is seated in the center of the painting; although unrealistic it conveys a sense of nostalgia.

Artists

About the Museums

Musée d’Art Moderne de de Paris

Located between the Champs-Elysées and the Eiffel Tower, the palace that houses the Musée d’Art Moderne de de Paris is a magnificent example of 1930s architecture. It is unquestionably one of the key institutions of Parisian cultural life. The Museum’s collection of more than 15,000 works makes it one of the biggest museums of modern and contemporary art in France.

Official Website of Musée d’Art Moderne de de Paris

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo is Japan’s first national art museum and is located across the Imperial Palace. The museum is home to one of Japan’s largest art collections, countless masterpieces dating from the end of the 19^th century to the present day by both Japanese and foreign artists.

Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka opened on February 2, 2022 in the Nakanoshima district of central Osaka. It has a collection of over 6,000 works, focusing on superb works of art and design from Japan and around the world created between the mid-nineteenth century and the present, together with additional examples of the richness of art produced in Osaka.

Official Website of Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

Exhibition Catalogue

TRIO : Modern art collections from Paris, Tokyo and Osaka

Catalogue Information

Date of Issue: May 21, 2024
Price: 3,000 yen (including tax)
Size and Number of Pages: A5 variant, paperback, 216 pages.
Languages: Japanese-English bilingual
Publisher: Nikkei Inc.

Contents

Catalogue

Ⅰ Three Cities—Paris, Tokyo and Osaka
Ⅱ Cities Undergoing Modernization
Ⅲ Dreams and the Unconscious
Ⅳ Transformation in the Depiction of Human Form
Ⅴ New Human Form
Ⅵ Resonating Colors and Forms
Ⅶ Art that Transcends Boundaries

Appendix

Introduction to the Three Museums
Nishiura Some

Chronology

The TRIO Exhibition

Unexpected Conversations
Charlotte Barat-Mabille (Curator, Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris)

Between Academism and Perceptions of Traditional Japan
Conflicts and Challenges for Japanese Artists in Paris in the First Half of the Twentieth Century
Yokoyama Yukiko (Curator, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)

Paris, Tokyo, Osaka, and Their Cityscapes
Takayanagi Yukiko (Senior Curator, Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)

List of Works

Installation Images

Hours & Admissions

Location

Special Exhibition Gallery (1st floor)

Date

May 21–August 25, 2024

Closed

Mondays (except July 15 and August 12), July 16, August 13

Time

10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (Fridays and Saturdays open until 8:00 p.m.)

• Last admission: 30 minutes before closing.

Admission

Adults ¥2,200 (¥2,000)
College/University students ¥1,200 (¥1,000)
High School students ¥700 (¥500)

• All prices include tax.
• Admission in the parentheses is for advance tickets and groups of 20 persons or more.
• Admission is free for Junior High School students, under 15, and those with Disability Certificates and one caregiver accompanying each of them. Please present ID at the entrance.
• Including the admission fee for MOMAT Collection and New Acquisition & Special Display: Germaine Richier, The Ant (International Works).

Tickets

Same-day tickets can be purchased at the ticket counters from May 21, while online tickets can be purchased at e-tix online ticket service.

Advance tickets are on sale from March 25 to May 20 at e-tix online ticket service.

Buy tickets at e-tix online ticket service

Organized by

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, Nikkei Inc., TV TOKYO Corporation, BS TV TOKYO Corporation

With the collaboration of

Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, Paris Musées

With the sponsorship of

DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD., LIVE ART BOOKS, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., Sompo Holdings, Inc., SUMITOMO MITSUI BANKING CORPORATION

With the cooperation of

JAPAN AIRLINES

Exhibition Tours

Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka　September 14–December 8, 2024