 The
birth of a Japanese ancient city
Thru Dec. 20
The dawn of the research in ancient capital sites
came with the first excavation of the Fujiwara Palace in 1934. The
researchers
in this field have had excellent results during the past 50 years.
Archaeological investigation revealed much about the unknown structures
of ancient palaces, capitals, government offices and temples. At
the same time, the related academic disciplines,
such as ancient history, were also greatly improved in this field.
All those interconnected research successes gave birth to "ancient
capital studies" as a newly established academic field.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the excavation of the Naniwa
Palace, which commenced under the direction of Professor Tokutaro
Yamane. The exhibition commemorates this event, focusing on unveiling
the ancient capital established in the Asuka Period (mostly about
7th century) and the role of Buddhism during that time.
Most people would first think of Heijo-kyo or
the Heian-kyo
as the first capital of Japan, but the exhibition concentrates exclusively
on the palaces in the Asuka Period. The capital, where people gather
to live, must have been the urban space centering on the palace
and temples. The tower, rising to the sky at the centre of the temple,
was the landmark of the city, and people were united under the ruler
through the Buddhist services held at temples. The style of city
planning, centering on Buddhism, was adopted in Naniwa, the capital
after the Taika Restoration, as
well as Otsu, established at the lakeside of the Biwa-ko Lake.
The exhibition presents significant artifacts excavated from major
palaces and temples, ancient documents, books, sutras and Buddhist
figurines, including 2 National Treasures and 12 Important Cultural
Properties. On top of those from Japan, we exhibit valuable contemporaneous
materials from abroad, such as Northern Wei, Yongning-si Temple,
Silla and Hwangnyong-sa Temple.
Osaka Museum of History
Open: 9:30am–4:30pm, closed Tuesday
Admission: ¥800/¥540
Tel: 06-6946-5728
Marks — body and idea in postwar art
Thru Dec. 5
 Clearly
a work of art is the result of the artist’s labours. But we
have been closing our eyes this very natural fact — torn canvas,
spattered paints, the mark of an artist’s hand on the canvas
... After the 1950s, most of the images in the mainstream of contemporary
art were realized as a result of cause and effect and not of images
of something, thus, giving the name "trace" to the images
that were generated as the consequences of something, rather than
designed to resemble something. The exhibition tries to verify the
development of postwar art from a viewpoint of “marks”,
and lights various tendencies and artists from a new angle; Abstract
Expressionism, Neo Dada, Vienna Actionism and Conceptual Art in
Europe and America and the artists of the Gutai Art Association
and Yomiuri Independent Exhibition as well as the Mono-ha and post
Mono-ha in Japan.
Kyoto Kokuritsu Kindai Museum
Keihan Shichijo stn. Okazaki Park
Open: 9:30am–4pm closed Mondays • Admission: ¥1000/¥600/¥400
Tel: 075-761-4111
13 Japanese Artists creating sculptures
for La Monnaie de Paris.
Thru Jan. 30
The French Mint had asked different Japanese artists
to participate
in a project where these artists (sculptors or not) would create
a sculpture especially for them; it is edited to 100 pieces and
13 artists participated in the project. The project was a great
success in France and many of the sculptures were sold both in France
and Japan. This exhibition will show the artists works, introducing
the bronze sculptures but also prints or original painting made
by each artist.
The show will also introduce different recordings
of this event, such as the performance by Yayoi Kusama at the French
Embassy, with the collaboration of Issey Miyake. Many unpublished
photographs will also be introduced, that were taken during the
project. Besides the exhibition, a must-see is the beautiful garden
that owner Frank Riva prizes and this is well alone a treat. Local
artist Mangetsu, who is a storyteller (Roryokushi) is the mastermind
who created this beautiful house and garden. Black rocks brought
from Nara accentuate the garden and it is a great getaway from the
hustle and bustle of the busy Osaka business park district.
Carpe Diem
Chuo line, Midoribashi stn.
• Open: 1–7pm, closed Monday & Tuesday
Admission: Free • Tel: 06-6961-0444
Masters of posters
Hommage a Toulouse–Lautrec
Nov.20-Feb.13
In the last half of 19th century, a new age called
"Modern Times" began in Europe. Cities rapidly grew and
people's lives were dramatically changed. During this period, a
new medium was created and fostered into an art form beyond a simple
means of information transmission; it became known as "poster
art". Though printed advertisements were fundament-ally in
text form, the advancement of multi-color lithography enabled easy
repro- duction of colorful images, and vitalized production of visually
appealing posters.
After having been nurtured by well-known artists
like Mucha and Toulouse-Lautrec, the poster culture came to another
phase in the 20th century. Styles shifted from Art Nouveau to Art
Deco, and further to Fauvism, Cubism and Surreali-sm along with
the progress of new design trends. In the last half of this century,
the world was greatly changed by war.
This exhibition explores the history of posters
as media developed through the times, with masterpieces selected
from Osaka's Suntory Museum's original collection. Suntory Museum
of Art invites you to this fascinating showcase of poster art, spanning
the 19th and 20th centuries.
Suntory Museum
Subway chuo, Technoport line, Osakako stn.
Open: 10:30am-7pm, closed Mon.
Admission: ¥1000/¥700/¥500
Tel: 06-6577-0001
Kansai Art Listings
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Osaka
Thru December 22
DDD Gallery
Balarinji Design Exhibition
Nishi Umeda stn or Higobashi stn.
Open: 10am – 6pm. Closed Sat, Sun, Holidays. Admission:
Free
Tel: 06 6347 8780
Thru December 5
Fujita Museum
Buddhist Art Exhibition in commemoration of the museum’s
50th anniversary.
Subway Kyobashi/.Keihan, JR Osaka
Jo Kitazume stn.
Open: 10am – 4pm Closed Monday
Admission: ¥800/¥500/¥300
Tel: 06 6351 0582
Thru December 19
Fureai Minato Kan Wine Museum
Ancient Mediterranean Art
Subway Cosmo Square stn, OTS line
Open: 11am – 5:30pm, closed Monday
Admission: ¥800/¥500/¥300
Tel: 06 6613 2411
Thru December 5
Kirin Plaza Osaka
Machi no Tsukaikata (Different Usage of towns)
By Dotobori River
Open: 11am – 8:30pm
Admission: ¥700/¥500
Tel: 06 6212 6578
Thru December 7
Kokuritsu Minzokugaku Hakubu-tsukan
(Museum of Ethnology)
The Arabian Nights
Banpaku Kinen Koen Stn..
Open: 10am 4:30pm, closed Wed
Admission: ¥420/¥250/¥110
Tel: 06 6876 2151
Thru December 12
Museum of Oriental Ceramics Osaka
Masterpieces of Oriental Ceramics
Midosuji line, Yodoyabashi Stn
Open: 9:30am – 4:30pm, Closed Mon. Admission: ¥600/¥450
Tel: 06 6223 0055
Thru December 19
The National Museum of Art Osaka
Marcel Duchamp & the 20th Century Art
Subway Yotsubashi line Higobashi stn. Midosuji line/Keihan
Yodoyabashi stn.
Open: 10am – 4pm Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥420/¥130/¥70
Tel: 06 6447 4680
Thru December 19
Osaka Nanko Cosmo Square Wine Museum
Ancient Mediterranean Art
OTS line, Cosmo Square stn.,
Trade Center Mae stn.
Open: 11am – 6pm
Admission: ¥900/¥700/free for children Tel: 06 6613 2411
Thru December 12
Osaka Shiritsu Toji Tojo Museum
The Birth of Goryeo Celadon: Early Goryea Celadon and
its Development Goryeo Celadon ceramics from Korea
Keihan/Subway Yodoyabashi stn.
Open: 9:30am – 4pm, closed Mon.
Admission: ¥600/¥450/free for children Tel: 06 6223 0055
Thru February 13, 2005
Suntory Museum, Tempozan
Hommage a Toulouse Lautrec
Subway chuo, Technoport line, Osaka ko stn, exit 1.
Open: 10:30am 7pm, closed Mon.
Admission: ¥1000/¥700/¥500
Tel: 06 6577 0001
Kyoto
Thru January 23, 2005
Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Sanso Museum
Indexless: Works by Monet, Clay, Hibino Katsuhiko, etc.
JR Yamazaki /Hankyu Oyamazaki stn.
Open: 10am – 6pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥600/¥400/free
Tel: 075 957 3123
Thru December 26
Hosomi Museum
Good Times in the Old Capitol: Picture scrolls, folding screens
and other art works from Japanese litera-ture from the Heian
to the Edo period.
Tozai Subway line, Higashiyama stn.
On the corner of Nijo dori and river
Open: 10am – 5:30pm, closed Mon Admission: ¥700/¥500
Tel: 075 752 5555
Thru December 23
Koryo Museum of Art
Exhibition of Blue and White Porcelain and White Porcelain
From JR Kyoto station, take city bus #9. From Keihan Sanjo
station, take city bus #37. Get off at Kamogawa Chugakko mae.
Open: 10am – 4:30pm. Closed Mon
Admission: ¥500/¥400/¥300
Tel: 075 491 1192
Thru December 19
Kyoto Kokuritsu Kindai Museum
Traces: Body and Idea in contemporary Art
Keihan Shichijo stn. Okazaki Park
Open: 9:30am – 4pm, closed Mon
Admission: ¥1200/¥800/¥600
Tel: 075 761 4111
Thru January 16, 2005
Kyoto shi Museum
Masterpieces from the Permanent Collection IV:
Continuation and Repetition in Artworks
JR Kyoto/Hankyu Shijo Kwaramachi/Keihan Sanjo stn, take a
bus from any of these stations.
Admission: ¥400/¥200
Z 75 771 4107
Hyogo
December 4–12
Ashiya City Museum of Art and History
The 54th Children’s Work Exhibition
Hanshin Ashiya stn. 10-min walk
Open 10am – 4:30pm, closed Mon.
Admission: ¥1,000/¥800/free
Tel: 0797 38 5432
Thru December 23
Himeji City Museum of Art
“Mingei” – Yanagi Soetsu and his Collegues
JR/Sanyo Himeji stn.,
Behind Himeji Castle
Open: 10am – 4:30pm, closed Mon
Admission: ¥800/¥500/¥200
Tel: 0792 22 2288
Thru December 25
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
Universal Symbol of Brands: Louis Vuitton Travels Beyond
Time and Space
Hanshin Iwaya stn. (by the ocean)
Open: 10am – 5pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥1200/¥800/¥400
Tel: 078 262 0901
Thru December 5
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History
Gems of Tokugawa Art: Lavish Life of the Inner Palace
JR/Sanyo Himeji stn.
Open: 10am – 4pm. Closed Mon.
Admission: ¥200/¥150/¥100
Tel: 0792 88 9011
Nara
December 11 – January 23
Nara Kenritsu Bijutsukan
Treasures of Tanzan Shrine: Shinto Art from Nara
Kintetsu Nara stn. Open: 9am–4pm
Admission: ¥1000/¥700/¥400
Tel: 0742 23 3968
Thru December 23
Nara Shashin Museum
Irie Yasukichi Exhibition: Depicting the poems in Manyoshu
JR/Kintetsu Nara stn., take the loop bus.
Open: 9:30pm – 4:30pm,
Close Mon
Admission: ¥500/¥200/¥100
Tel: 0742 22 7771
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ART section compiled by Maki Nibayashi
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