Museum tour in English: Yokoyama Taikan at the Yamatane Museum of Art (Feb. 9)

Yokoyama Taikan Divine Spirit: Mt. Fuji (1952), Yamatane Museum of Art

Update, Feb. 5: due to cancellations, we have space for just a few people.  I will give a tour at  the Yamatane Museum of Art in Tokyo on Friday Feb. 9 at 10:30 am, guiding visitors through the  exhibition Yokoyama Taikan — The Elite of the Tokyo Art World. The tour is by reservation only, will last about an hour and is free with regular museum admission (1,000 yen for adults).

 

Yokoyama Taikan, Spring Morning (c. 1939), Yamatane Museum of Art

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Japan through top-class works of art.  Yokoyama Taikan (1868-1958) was one of the most influential Japanese painters of the 20th century, known particularly for his many stunning images of Mt. Fuji. To mark the 150th anniversary of his birth,the museum is putting their entire collection of Taikan paintings on view, a total of 40 works acquired by the museum’s founder over the course of a long friendship with the artist. This is the first time in the museum’s history that all their Taikan holdings will be displayed at once.

Yokoyama Taikan, Horned Owl (1926), Yamatane Museum of Art

We’ll also see works by others who worked closely with Taikan to forge new directions in Nihonga (Japanese-style painting), including Hishida Shunsō (1874-1911) and  Shimomura Kanzan (1973-1930), as well as other painters among the Tokyo art elite, such as Kobayashi Kokei  (1883–1957) and Higashiyama Kaii (1908-1999).

Kobayashi Kokei, Oxen (1943), Yamatane Museum of Art

If you’ve been on my museum tours before, you know they are lively and informal. I try to keep keep things accessible for total beginners while offering new information and insights for those who may be already deep into the subject matter. The tour is during regular museum hours, so we’ll be using headsets connected wirelessly to my microphone. This should allow everyone to hear well without our talk disturbing other visitors.

Higashiyama Kaii, End of the Year (1968), Yamatane Museum of Art

This tour is limited to 25 people (the number of headsets available). I expect this to fill up quickly, so please do sign up here:

The Yamatane Museum of Art is located at 3-12-36 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, and is about a 10 minute walk from Ebisu Station (use the West Exit if you’re coming on JR; Exit 2 if you’re coming on the Hibiya subway line). There is a map and directions on the museum’s website or use this link to Google Maps.

 

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