Permanent Collection 2nd term 2025

Kikuhata Mokuma was born in 1935 in Nagasaki City. In the late 1950s, he made his earnest entry into the art world as a member of the avant-garde art collective called the “Kyushu-ha.” During the ‘60s, he was the standard-bearer for the “Anti Art” movement that swept the decade, bringing younger, international attention to such works as “Roulette” and “Slave Genealogy” created via his application of the assemblage technique. From the late 1960s, however, and even with the prospect of the upcoming 1970 World Exposition generating excitement throughout the art world, he proceeded to drastically reduce the number of pieces he created over the next 20 years, putting considerable distance between himself and the art world.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of Kikuhata’s passing. It will also coincide with the launch of a project called “Links—Kikuhata Mokuma,” which involves museums across the country exhibiting their own Kikuhata works. Takamatsu Art Museum is also participating in this project. Alongside the exhibition of five works created by Kikuhata during the 1960s, the varied trends in art that developed during that same decade will be introduced through a total of 29 other works from 20 artists, including Kudo Tetsumi, Miki Tomio, Akasegawa Genpei, Shinohara Ushio, and Yokoo Tadanori. This is a wonderful opportunity to appreciate a range of art from the ‘60s, burning with the creative passion of Kikuhata and his youthful contemporaries as they sought out new forms of expression. The results include “Anti Art,” which utilizes junk to upend established values, “Pop Art,” which draws inspiration from everyday life, and other works that incorporate the latest technologies of the period.

The foundations of Sanuki Lacquerware were laid at the end of the Edo Period (around the 1850s) by Tamakaji Zokoku, and it has since evolved into an art form that continues to this day. Meanwhile, in the decades from the early to late 1900s, Kitahara Senroku and other Kagawa artists incorporated the latest European trends into the creation of their metalwork pieces. In these works, skilled artistic techniques have been employed to vividly portray a diverse range of living creatures, from birds and bugs to the more imaginative phoenixes. This exhibition will feature 49 lacquerware and metalwork pieces from 20 artists, all based around the theme of living creatures.

Tamakaji Zokoku delivered a total of 18 pieces in his Incense Case “Wasuregai” collection to the lord of the Takamatsu domain, featuring shellfish decorated with poetry, and from the tasteful elegance they provide, these have become known as masterpieces of Sanuki lacquerware. Here, the original pieces will be exhibited alongside the engravings. Isoi Joshin, a key figure in the modernization of Sanuki lacquerware, carved countless dragonflies and flocking sparrows into the surface of incense bowls, creating overwhelmingly realistic, dense imagery. Kitahara Senroku brought a wave of modern elements and a breath of fresh air to the world of metalwork, skillfully recreating the forms of varied living creatures. The most outstanding example of this is perhaps Ornament, a Couple of Fish, with the two fish swimming side by side which almost appear to be reflected in the glossy lacquer stand, creating a piece that is the epitome of elegance.

Experience a collaboration between varied living creatures, created using Kagawa lacquerware and metalwork.

Period：
July 5.(Sat),2025-September 28(Sun.),2025

Venue：
Permanent Collection Gallery
　　
Closed：
Monday (the following weekday if Monday is a holiday)
　　
Hours：
Monday-Saturday & Holidays: 9:30-17:00
*July 26:-19:00,July 27:11:00-18:00,July 28-29:-18:00,Aug 1-31(Friday and Saturday): -20:00,Sep 2-28(Friday and Saturday):-19:00
*Last entry is 30 minutes prior to closing.
　　
Organized by:
TAKAMATSU ART MUSEUM
　　
Admission：
【General 】200yen（160yen)
【University students】150yen (120yen)
【High school age or younger/Seniors 65+】Admission free
※Advance Purchase and Groups of 20 or More Get Discounts (pricing in parenthesis)
※Free admission for those with a physical disability certificate, rehabilitation certificate, or mental disability certificate.
　　
Telephone Inquiry
TAKAMATSU ART MUSEUM
TEL +81-87-823-1711

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