Special 25th Memorial Exhibition:
Higashiyama Kaii and Summer in Japan

　

20 July (Sat.) – 23 September (Mon.) 2024
(Closed on 8/13, 9/17 and Mondays, except for 8/12, 9/16, 9/23 )

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

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

Summer Student Discount: University and high school students: 1,100 yen → 500 yen

Organized by: Yamatane Museum of Art, Nikkei Inc., Japan Arts Council and Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan

Highlights of the Exhibition

Higashiyama Kaii

White Wall, Color on Paper, 1952; Yamatane Museum of Art

White Mountain, Color on Paper, 1964; Yamatane Museum of Art

Rising Moon, Color on Paper, 1965; Yamatane Museum of Art

Hill in Early Spring, Color on Paper, 1966; Yamatane Museum of Art

Spring Calm, Color on Paper, 1968; Yamatane Museum of Art

Pervasive Verdure, Color on Paper, 1976; Yamatane Museum of Art

Autumn Colors, Color on Paper, 1986; Yamatane Museum of Art

End of the Year, Color on Paper, 1968; Yamatane Museum of Art

Rising Tide, Color on Paper, 1970; Yamatane Museum of Art

Other Artists

Katsushika Hokusai, Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji: Fine Wind, Clear Morning, Large Format (Ōban) Polychrome Woodblock Print (Nishiki-e) on Paper, c. 1830; Yamatane Museum of Art

Yokoyama Taikan, Sea in Summer, Color on Paper, c.1952; Yamatane Museum of Art

Kawai Gyokudō, Young Ladies Planting Rice, Color on Silk, 1945; Yamatane Museum of Art

Uemura Shōen, Firefly, Color on Silk, 1913, Yamatane Museum of Art

Katō Eizō, Wandering Light, Color on Paper, 1917; Yamatane Museum of Art

Approximately 60 works in total are to be displayed.

Exhibition Overview

Higashiyama Kaii (1908-1999) engaged in conversations with nature throughout the four seasons in painting a host of scenes. From the natural world of the sea and the mountains to the cityscapes of ancient capitals, his richly poetic work is beloved today, a quarter of a century after his deah. On this occasion, the Yamatane Museum of Art is displaying its entire collection of works by Kaii and introducing landscape paintings brimming with a sense of the seasons. They are joined in this special exhibition by a selection of famous works with summer and their theme and superb works that create a cooling sense, from ukiyo-e to modern and contemporary nihonga.

Kaii, who was born in Yokohama in 1908, studied nihonga at the Tokyo Fine Arts School (now Tokyo University of the Arts) before going to study abroad in Germany. After World War II, he continued exploring his style while seriously addressing nature and establishing his position as a landscape artist. Later, having traveled in Northern Europe, as he was returning to Japan’s traditional arts, he created his unique painting style, filled with serenity and lyricism.

His Rising Tide is one of the remarkable works in this exhibition. This large work, nine me-ters wide, combines the eternal image of Japan’s seas and the decorativeness of traditional Japa-nese painting. Our first director, Yamazaki Taneji, commissioned it, wanting to enable a wider audience to appreciate a work similar to the masterpiece by Kaii that adorns the New Imperial Palace. Another highlight is Kaii’s Landscapes of Kyoto series (four paintings, including End of the Year). That series presents elegant depictions of the charm of Kyoto and its changing seasons, in-spired by the words of the novelist Kawabata Yasunari.

This exhibition also includes Kaii’s Rising Tide, a dynamic seascape with surging white-caps, Utagawa Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e, A Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Evening Shower at Ōhashi Bridge, which presents a sudden shower on the Sumida River, Uemura Shōen’s Firefly, capturing the mo-mentary look of a woman in a blue yukata, and other masterworks that capture the look of sum-mer and a fresh, cooling effect. We hope you will have a refreshing experience through Hi-gashiyama Kaii’s landscapes and these works depicting summer in Japan.