Special Exhibition Celebrating the 140th Anniversary of Kobayashi Kokei’s Birth:
Kobayashi Kokei and Hayami Gyoshū
―Two Influential Masters in the Japanese Modern Art World

　

20 May (Sat.) 2023– 17 July (Mon.) 2023
(Closed on Mondays, except for 17 July.)

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

Admission Fees: Adults: 1,400 yen; University and high school students: 1,100 yen; middle school and younger children: free of charge; Disability ID holders and one accompanying person: 1,200 yen each (university and high school students: 1000 yen)
*Discount for those who are wearing kimono: Discount of 200 yen for adults

Online Ticket Sales

Organized by: Yamatane Museum of Art and Nikkei Inc.

Highlights of the Exhibition

【Kobayashi Kokei】

Lady Kogō, a Daughter of Fujiwara no Shigenori: Scene from The Tale of the Heike. Color on Silk, Meiji Period, c. 1901; Yamatane Museum of Art

Children Playing the Matching Grasses Game. Color on Silk, Meiji Period, 1907; Yamatane Museum of Art

Elysian Well, Color on Silk, Taisho Period, 1912; The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo○

Hot Spring, Color on Silk, Taisho Period, 1921; Tokyo National Museum★

Still Life. Oil on Canvas, Taisho Period, 1922; Yamatane Museum of Art

Scenes from the Legend of Kiyohime, Ink/Color on Paper, Taisho Period, 1930; Yamatane Museum of Art

Lotus Flowers. Color on Silk, Showa Period, 1932; Yamatane Museum of Art

Maitreya. Color on Silk, Showa Period, 1933; Yamatane Museum of Art

Fruit. Color on Silk, Showa Period, 1936; Yamatane Museum of Art

Indian Corn Plants. Color on Paper, Showa Period, 1939; The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo●

Cat. Color on Paper, Showa Period, 1946; Yamatane Museum of Art

Irises. Color on Paper, Showa Period, 1952; Yamatane Museum of Art

【Hayami Gyoshū】

The Tale of the Snatched off Wen. Ink on Paper, Meiji Period, 1911; Yamatane Museum of Art

A Suitor's Trials.Color on Silk, Taisho Period, 1913; Yamatane Museum of Art

Autumn in Yamashina. Color on Silk, Taisho Period, 1917; Yamatane Museum of Art

Peach Blossoms. Color on Gold Ground on Paper, Taisho Period, 1923; Yamatane Museum of Art

Midday in Spring. Color on Silk, Taisho Period, 1924; Yamatane Museum of Art

Dancing in the Flames. [Important Cultural Property], Color on Silk, Taisho Period, 1925; Yamatane Museum of Art

Emerald Mosses and Verdant Grass. Color on Gold-Leafed Paper, Showa Period, 1928; Yamatane Museum of Art

Camellias. Color on Paper, Showa Period, 1933; Yamatane Museum of Art

Chinese Bellflowers. Ink and Color on Paper, Showa Period, 1934; Yamatane Museum of Art

Black Peonies. Ink and Color on Paper, Showa Period, 1934; Yamatane Museum of Art

Approximately 60 works in total are to be displayed.
Period of Display: ○: 5/20-6/18, ★: 6/27-7/17, ●:6/20-7/17／All other works: Displayed for the entire exhibition period

Exhibition Overview

Kobayashi Kokei (1883-1957) and Hayami Gyoshū (1894-1935) both left significant marks on the history of nihonga. Tracing their artistic careers, moreover, reveals many similarities in their work despite the eleven-year difference in their ages.

Kokei and Gyoshū both began by producing history paintings and paintings of the human figure. Both were active in the Inten (Japan Art Institute Exhibition), which was reestablished in 1914. Both changed their styles at about the same point, in the 1920s, and both shifted to a thoroughly realistic style based on detailed depictions. Both received support from the businessman Hara Sankei. Also, both found new horizons as a result of their experiences in Europe: Kokei, his eyes opened to the beauty of the line in Asian paintings, established his own distinctive style, while Gyoshū developed　new artistic terrains, representations of the human figure and bird-and-flower paintings based on ink-wash techniques.

Kokei and Gyoshū had high regard for each other, while also enjoying a friendly rivalry. Gyoshū praised Kokei, the more senior artist, saying, “He walks straight ahead on the path he believes in.” Kokei, on his part, said of the younger Gyoshū, “When I think of my friend who was so passionate about art, I feel a great respect for him.” Their relationship was filled with mutual respect.

This exhibition, which commemorates the 140th anniversary of Kokei’s birth, presents masterpieces by Kokei, including Elysian Well (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo), Hot Spring (Tokyo National Museum), and Scenes from the Legend of Kiyohime, plus the cream of Gyoshū’s work, including Dancing in the Flames (Important Cultural Property), and Emerald Mosses and Verdant Grass. They are joined by many gems by both artists, from their early through their late periods, including works that show these two artists’ interactions and related comments. Please enjoy following the pathbreaking careers of these artistic geniuses as they stimulated each other, were active in ways far ahead of their time, and influenced their contemporaries and later generations of painters.