Special 80th Memorial Exhibition:
Takeuchi Seihō

　

6 October (Thu.)– 4 December (Sun.) 2022
(Closed on 11 October and on Mondays, except for 10 October.)

Hours: 10 am - 5 pm (Last admission at 4:30 pm)

Admission Fees: Adults: 1,300 yen; university and high school students: 1,000 yen; middle school and younger children: free of charge;
Disability ID holders and one person accompanying them: 1,100 yen
*Discount for those who are wearing kimono: Discount of 200 yen for adults

Organized by: Yamatane Museum of Art and Nikkei Inc.

Highlights of the Exhibition

Takeuchi Seihō

Tabby Cat [Important Cultural Property]. Color on Silk, Taisho Period, 1924; Yamatane Museum of Art

A Pair of Cranes. Color on Silk, Taisho or Showa Period, c. 1912-42; Yamatane Museum of Art

Itako in Early Summer. Color on Silk, Showa Period, 1930; Yamatane Museum of Art

Horned Owl. Color on Silk, Showa Period, c. 1933; Yamatane Museum of Art

Frogs and Dragonfly. Ink and Color on Paper, Showa Period, 1934; Yamatane Museum of Art

Ducklings. Color on Silk, Showa Period, c. 1937; Yamatane Museum of Art

Bird on a Water Wheel. Color on Silk, Showa Period, 1938; Yamatane Museum of Art

The Twelve Months in Paintings. Color on Silk, Showa Period, 1938; Yamatane Museum of Art

Attributed to Nagasawa Rosetsu, Chinese Children at Play [Important Art Object]. Color on Silk, Edo Period, 18th Century; Yamatane Museum of Art

Tsuji Kakō, The Mansōtei (Korea). Color on Silk, Taisho Period, 1921; Yamatane Museum of Art

Yamamoto Shunkyo, Pasture in Vast Plain . Color on Silk, Taisho Period, c. 1916; Yamatane Museum of Art

Nishimura Goun, Polar Bear. Color on Silk, Meiji Period, 1907; Yamatane Museum of Art

Nishiyama Suishō, Puppies. Color on Silk, Showa Period, 1957; Yamatane Museum of Art

Murakami Kagaku, Nude [Important Cultural Property] . Color on Silk, Taisho Period, 1920; Yamatane Museum of Art

Approximately 60 works in total are to be displayed.
Some works will rotate during the exhibition.

Exhibition Overview

Takeuchi Seihō (1864-1942) was a central figure in the art world in modern Kyoto. Although Seihō was trained in the traditions of the Maruyama Shijō School, which dates back to the Edo period, he also studied the classics. His talent blossomed early, and by the time he was in his thirties, he was the leading painter in the Kyoto art world. In 1900, he traveled to Europe to observe the Paris Exposition. Seihō was deeply excited by the art he saw in Europe. After his return to Japan, he brought innovation to modern nihonga by incorporating the techniques of Western painting and by developing a unique style that also included ink paintings and other Eastern traditions. According to Hashimoto Kansetsu (1883-1945), one of Seihō’s pupils, Seihō himself said that when he painted animals, he could paint them down to their smell. His descriptive powers where highly acclaimed at the time, and their appeal remains fresh to this day. As well as being an artist, Seihō was also an outstanding educator. He was committed to the development of nihonga and trained many exceptionally talented students at Chikujōkai, his own studio, at the Kyoto City School of Arts and Crafts, and at the Kyoto City College of Painting.

After an interval of ten years, Yamatane Museum of Art is now presenting its Special 80th Memorial Exhibition to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of Seihō’s death. The exhibition will trace his career through his finest work, including Tabby Cat (Important Cultural Property), one of his masterful animal paintings, Pine Trees and Tigers from the collection at Tokyo National Museum (on display Oct. 6 to Nov. 6), and several excellent works from private collections on public display for the first time. The exhibition also introduces works by Seihō’s contemporaries in the Kyoto art world, including Tsuji Kakō and Yamamoto Shunkyo, as well as his students Nishimura Goun, Tsuchida Bakusen, and Ono Chikkyō. As an exceptional addition, we will also show Nude (Important Cultural Property) by Murakami Kagaku, another of Seihō’s pupils.

We hope you will enjoy Seihō’s masterpieces, which are some of the finest in modern nihonga, as well as the other well-known works by leading painters in the Kyoto art world.