Curator Talks introduce new ways to view and enjoy works in our collection. This time, we will focus on “South Wind” (1907), National Important Cultural Property) by Wada Sanzo. This work won the highest award at the first Bunten (Ministry of Education Fine Arts Exhibition), Japan’s first government-sponsored art exhibition. The artis stated that he created this painting based on his own shipwreck experience, but there are two different theories regarding the location: Oshima Island and Hachijojima Island. Curator Masuda will unravel the mystery of “South Wind” based on ship sailing records from the time and the ship’s form depicted in the work.

Commentator｜Masuda Tomohiro (Curator, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)
Filming｜COG WORKS
Planning and Production｜The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
English Subtitles｜Brad Plumb, Japan Visualmedia Translation Academy (JVTA)
Special thanks to: The Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba

Release date : 2025.1.27