Recharge your power at the "Yokohama Museum of Art Collection Exhibition"!
Hirokazu Tategata (actor, dancer, choreographer)

The severe situation of Corona is still going on, but there is always a chance to meet something wonderful. This time, at the suggestion of the Magcal editorial department, I had the opportunity to visit the Yokohama Museum of Art. I had a very good time, so I will report on the whole story.

The Yokohama Museum of Art opened in 1989. Designed by the late Kenzo Tange, one of Japan's leading architects. The symmetric appearance is powerful and overwhelming, but once inside, the spacious grand gallery welcomes you and makes you feel bright and relaxed.

Mr. Tange, who regarded architecture as "town development," said he wanted to open it 24 hours a day at the conceptual stage to create a space where people could come and go freely. It was not realized from the aspect of security etc., but it seems that concerts etc. have been held for free during the opening hours, so it may have been possible to fulfill the function as a "town square". ..

Looking up at the museum from the frontAnd there is a space like an observation room in the center.
When I asked the curator, I was surprised that it was really an observatory!

At that time, there were no tall buildings around, so it seems that the sea could be seen from here.
The current view looks like this. It seems that it is usually used for volunteer staff activities, etc., and it is not open to the public.

Grand Mall Park is maintained in front of the museum, and you can feel the bustle of the town that Mr. Tange envisioned. With the opening of this museum, the town of Minatomirai may have grown to this point.

From here, the chief curator, Yuko Katata, introduced us to the "Yokohama Museum of Art Collection Exhibition".

"The theme of this time is'Yokohama Polyphony: Yokohama and Art in the 1910s and 1960s.' It is a turbulent era in which we have suffered catastrophic damage over the years and have achieved reconstruction from there. I would like you to see the flow of such history through art. "

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From the beginning to the first chapter, it seems that it corresponds to the "youth of Western painting" for Japanese people, and I feel the "heat" of painters who are longing for Western art and searching for "what is Japaneseness?" Learn the techniques of Western-style painting, learn about overseas trends and coolness, and explore what it means to draw them. I felt that the conflict of expressing myself rather than imitating it was the same as in the world of dance.

Chapter 3 is "Reconstruction from the Great Kanto Earthquake".

"While some painters wrote down the records of the Great Kanto Earthquake, two years after the earthquake, an exhibition introducing French art was held at the site of the temporary city hall in front of Sakuragicho Station. Only in small monochrome plates. The "real thing" of Western paintings that could not be seen has come to be seen, and it seems that picture leaflets as souvenirs have also gained popularity. "

In Chapter 6, the works of photographers were lined up.

"In 1938, at the Yokohama Museum of Art Exhibition, the photography club was established ahead of the rest of the country. Photographs that were not recognized as art will be recognized as a means of art expression."

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What caught my eye was Toyoko Tokiwa's work. It seems that she is a pioneer of female photographers, but it is wonderful that female artists were already active in Japan at this time.

Personally, I was strongly attracted to the circular exhibition room. It is a very comfortable space with a high ceiling.

"This is where Yoshishige Saito's" interior "is exhibited. He has been working on" piercing "works such as semi-three-dimensional and abstract expressions since before the war. This work was originally created assuming a rectangular room. However, when the "Postwar Japanese Avant-garde Art" exhibition was held at the museum in 1994, it was exhibited for the first time in this circular exhibition room under the direction of the artist himself. "

It's a bright, open and really nice space. It's easy to think that avant-garde art is difficult, but putting yourself in such a wonderful art space makes you feel very happy.

The last room is "Today's Artist Exhibition".

"The Yokohama Civic Art Gallery was opened in 1964, and the" Today's Writer Exhibition ", which introduces notable contemporary artists, is now being held. Here, we introduce the works of the artists exhibited in the 1960s from the exhibition held over 40 years. "

"In the 1960s, the so-called" anti-art "movement became active, and free expression that was not bound by the existing framework emerged in Japan. Here, the works of great masters such as Marcel Duchan Works by Japanese artists are also on display. "

Since the 1960s, it seems that there will be an increasing number of expressions that try to break away from existing art and create works of space itself that are neither paintings nor sculptures.
Performing arts such as dance are originally a momentary world that disappears every moment, but there are an increasing number of works that are not complete as things even in art. Modern art may be enjoyed not only by looking at it, but also by all five senses, including taste, smell, and texture.

Finally, I visited the observatory on the 8th floor again.
It's completely dark outside, and the illuminations of Grand Mall Park are really beautiful!

First of all, the presence of the museum building itself is convincing, so it is the real pleasure to put yourself in it. I was also surprised that the young staff, including Mr. Katata who guided me, are active. The Yokohama Museum of Art will be closed for a long time for renovation work from March 2021. Although the appearance of Mr. Tange's design is almost the same, the equipment such as air conditioning will be more comfortable and youthful, so I'm looking forward to it.

It seems that my favorite Andy Warhol's work is also exhibited at the last exhibition "Trialogue" before the museum is closed, so I hope you can come again before the museum is closed.
Even at that time, please include a commentary!

Yokohama Museum of Art Collection Exhibition
"Yokohama Polyphony: Yokohama and Art in the 1910s and 1960s"
[Date and time] November 14th (Sat) -February 28th, 2021 (Sun) 10: 00-18: 00 (Admission is until 17:30)
[Venue] Yokohama Museum of Art
[Closed] Thursday (excluding February 11), February 12 (Fri)
[Fee] General ¥ 500, University / High school students ¥ 300, Junior high school students ¥ 100, Elementary school students and younger free, Persons with disability certificate and long-term care (1 person) free
* Reservation required by date and time
[Organizer] Yokohama Museum of Art (Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama Museum of Art)
[Inquiry] 045-221-0300 (Yokohama Museum of Art)

* Click here for details