Exhibitions
Kitawaki Noboru: To See the Universe in a Seed
Date
Location
Art Museum Gallery 4
About
The avant-garde painter Kitawaki Noboru (1901–1951) was active in Kyoto in the 1930s and 1940s. Thus far, his work has generally been discussed in terms of Surrealist influence. For example, this aptly describes his approach in Airport (1937) of generating fantastical imagery through association of shapes, so the maple seed pods can also be seen as planes. However, this exhibition aims to examine what Kitawaki was actually seeking to accomplish in referencing the ideas and techniques of Surrealism: to decode the invisible laws behind the world around us, and visually reveal a model of his worldview. Based on this philosophical mindset, Kitawaki produced paintings that reference not only Surrealism, but also mathematics, the natural science of Goethe, and ancient Chinese divination.
Here we shed light on the development of Kitawaki’s distinctive approach, in which he sought a unification of all the laws of heaven and earth as if condensed in a single seed that sprouts, grows, blossoms, bears fruit and produces new seeds.
List of Works
Kitawaki Noboru: To See the Universe in a Seed
北胁升 在一颗种子中凝视宇宙
기타와키 노보루 씨앗 한 알에서 우주를 보다
February 11 – October 25, 2020 The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
| room | audio guide (En) | artist | title | 美术家 | 标题 | 작가의 | 표제 | date | on view from | on view to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Perishing in the Sky | 北胁升 | 空中的诀别 | 기타와키 노보루 | 하늘의 결별 | 1937 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Airport | 北胁升 | 机场 | 기타와키 노보루 | 공항 | 1937 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Root and Sprout of Tree | 北胁升 | 树的根和芽 | 기타와키 노보루 | 나무의 뿌리와 싹 | 1937 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | The Quietest Time | 北胁升 | 最寂静的时刻 | 기타와키 노보루 | 가장 조용할 때 | 1937 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Landscape of Collected Fragments, Series of Physiognomy | 北胁升 | 借景（观相学系列） | 기타와키 노보루 | 차경(관상학 시리즈) | 1937 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Metamorphosis of Life, Series of Physiognomy | 北胁升 | 变生（观相学系列） | 기타와키 노보루 | 변생(관상학 시리즈) | 1938 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Village, Series of Physiognomy | 北胁升 | 聚落（观相学系列） | 기타와키 노보루 | 취락(관상학 시리즈) | 1938 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Shadow (Series of Physiognomy) | 北胁升 | 影（观相学系列） | 기타와키 노보루 | 그림자(관상학 시리즈) | 1938 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Sacred Fire | 北胁升 | 净火 | 기타와키 노보루 | 신성한 불 | 1938 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Solitary End | 北胁升 | 孤独的终末 | 기타와키 노보루 | 고독한 종말 | 1938 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | For Morphology | 北胁升 | 为了形态学 | 기타와키 노보루 | 형태학을 위해 | 1939 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Will of Species | 北胁升 | 物种的意欲 | 기타와키 노보루 | 종의 의욕 | 1939 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Synthesis and Analysis | 北胁升 | 综合与分析 | 기타와키 노보루 | 종합과 분석 | 1940 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Structure of Disorder | 北胁升 | 秩序混乱构造 | 기타와키 노보루 | 질서 혼란 구조 | 1940 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Structure of the Meaning (A+B)² | 北胁升 | (A+B)² 的含义的构造 | 기타와키 노보루 | (A+B)² 의미 구조 | 1940 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Diagram of Cultural Morphology | 北胁升 | 文化类型学图式 | 기타와키 노보루 | 문화유형학 도식 | 1940 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Diagram of I Ching Divination (Eight Phenomena) | 北胁升 | 周易解理图（八卦） | 기타와키 노보루 | 주역 도표(팔괘) | 1941 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Diagram of I Ching Divination (Heaven and Earth) | 北胁升 | 周易解理图（乾坤） | 기타와키 노보루 | 주역 도표(건곤) | 1941 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Diagram of I Ching Divination (Obedience and Pleasure) | 北胁升 | 周易解理图（巽兑） | 기타와키 노보루 | 주역 도표(손태) | 1941 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Mathematical Thrill | 北胁升 | 数学震颤 | 기타와키 노보루 | 수학적 스릴 | 1942 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Scenery at Murasakino | 北胁升 | 紫野的景观 | 기타와키 노보루 | 무라사키노의 풍경 | 1942 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Morphology of Daffodils | 北胁升 | 水仙的形态学 | 기타와키 노보루 | 수선화의 형태학 | 1946 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Self-Portrait | 北胁升 | 自画像 | 기타와키 노보루 | 자화상 | 1947 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | 0064 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Quo Vadis | 北胁升 | Quo Vadis（君往何处） | 기타와키 노보루 | 쿠오 바디스 | 1949 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/06/14 |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Moon 1 | 北胁升 | 月 1 | 기타와키 노보루 | 달 1 | 1937 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/08/23 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | The Moon 2 | 北胁升 | 月 2 | 기타와키 노보루 | 달 2 | 1937 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/08/23 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Fantasy on Saturn | 北胁升 | 关于土星的幻想 | 기타와키 노보루 | 토성의 환상 | 1938 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/08/23 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Study for For Morphology | 北胁升 | 为《为了形态学》而作的草稿 | 기타와키 노보루 | 《형태학을 위해》의 밑그림 | c.1939 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Drawing | 北胁升 | 素描 | 기타와키 노보루 | 소묘 | c.1939 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Drawing | 北胁升 | 素描 | 기타와키 노보루 | 소묘 | 1946 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Drawing | 北胁升 | 素描 | 기타와키 노보루 | 소묘 | 1946 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Drawing | 北胁升 | 素描 | 기타와키 노보루 | 소묘 | 1946 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Drawing | 北胁升 | 素描 | 기타와키 노보루 | 소묘 | 1946 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Drawing | 北胁升 | 素描 | 기타와키 노보루 | 소묘 | 1946 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Drawing | 北胁升 | 素描 | 기타와키 노보루 | 소묘 | 1946 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Drawing | 北胁升 | 素描 | 기타와키 노보루 | 소묘 | Date unknown | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Survey on the Stone Garden of Ryoanji Temple | 北胁升 | 龙安寺石庭测图 | 기타와키 노보루 | 료안지 절의 돌 정원 조사 | c.1939 | 2020/08/25 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Chinese Bellflowers | 北胁升 | 桔梗 | 기타와키 노보루 | 도라지 | c.1946 | 2020/08/25 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Self-Portrait | 北胁升 | 自画像 | 기타와키 노보루 | 자화상 | 1951 | 2020/08/25 | 2020/10/25 | |
| Gallery 4 | KITAWAKI, Noboru | Object | 北胁升 | 物 | 기타와키 노보루 | 오브제 | c.1942 | 2020/02/11 | 2020/10/25 |
Catalog
Hours & Admissions
- Location
-
Art Museum Gallery 4
- Date
-
February 11 –June 14, 2020 October 25, 2020
- Time
-
10:00 – 17:00 *Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.
Until further notice, the hours are not extended on Fridays and Saturdays. - Closed
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Closed on Mondays (except February 24, August 10 and September 21 ), February 25, August 11 and September 23, 2020
*Temporary closure: February 29 – June 3 - Ticket
-
Advance ticket is recommended to avoid lines forming at the entrance.
Online purchase: 【Tiqets】【e-tix】
Tickets can be purchased on site at the ticket counters, subject to their availability. - Admission
-
Adults ¥500 (400)
College and university students ¥250 (200)- The price in brackets is for the group of 20 persons or more. All prices include tax.
Free for high school students, under 18, seniors (65 and over), Campus Members, MOMAT passport holder. - Show your Membership Card of the MOMAT Supporters or the MOMAT Members to get free admission (a MOMAT Members Card admits two persons free).
- Persons with disability and one person accompanying them are admitted free of charge.
- Members of the MOMAT Corporate Partners are admitted free with their staff ID.
- The price in brackets is for the group of 20 persons or more. All prices include tax.
- Organizer
-
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo