An exhibition by two people who loved traditional Japanese culture and lived an avant-garde life.

Go, see, and experience the world of art
File.9 Yokohama Museum of Art: "Isamu Noguchi and Saburo Hasegawa - Things That Change and Things That Remain Unchanged" Exhibition
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)

Isamu Noguchi's "Akari" series is widely known because it is still manufactured and sold as lighting fixtures. But who is "Saburo Hasegawa"?
The exhibition's subtitle is "Rediscovering Japan in the 1950s." This was the heyday of "mid-century modern" design in the United States, where Noguchi was based. Surely Saburo Hasegawa also left behind some stylish works. It feels like I'm about to encounter a wonderful world…
I went to a press preview held just before the opening. While there will be gallery talks by curators throughout the exhibition period, this was the only day when photography of the exhibition rooms was permitted, so I participated on behalf of my readers, camera in hand.
This is Isamu Noguchi's "Elements of a Garden," which has been on display in the Grand Gallery since November 16th (Friday) last year, ahead of the opening of the exhibition. Made using Mannari stone from Okayama, this masterpiece had not been publicly displayed for a long time since its presentation at a solo exhibition in New York in 1959.
You can enter up to this point without paying an admission fee, so first, take your time to appreciate the artwork in this bright and spacious environment. If you're impressed, head to the ticket counter!
Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was a sculptor born to a Japanese father and an American mother, who was primarily active in the United States. Saburo Hasegawa (1906-1957) was a painter and critic who studied in Paris in the early 1930s, and after meeting Noguchi, also worked in the United States.
The two met in 1950 in Japan, shortly after the war—or rather, under American occupation—and found common ground in each other's ideas. Hasegawa became Noguchi's guide as he planned a trip through the Kansai region to visit ancient cultural heritage sites. Gardens, architecture, ink painting, calligraphy, tea ceremony, Haniwa, Dogu, Dotaku, ceramics, haiku, Zen, Taoism, and more. How did the shared idea of "integrating the old East and the new West" that the two men developed from these experiences come to fruition in their works? I stepped into the exhibition room feeling a little like I was exploring an academic world.
The exhibition consists of six chapters, and is structured to allow viewers to appreciate the works of Hasegawa and Noguchi alternately, and sometimes in parallel.
Chapter 1. I was surprised by how avant-garde Hasegawa's work was when I first saw it! There were oil paintings, photographs, collages, prints, rubbings—it was truly anything goes. It's a shame that the "mind-blowing" feeling doesn't come across in photographs.
Hasegawa was involved in the establishment of the "Free Artists Association" before the war, and after the war, in 1947, he formed the "Japan Avant-Garde Artists Club" and resumed his activities as a painter. As can be seen from his background, there was a super-avant-garde world there that does not feel outdated even when viewed today.
I was so embarrassed to admit my ignorance, realizing that such a cool person existed. Hasegawa moved to the United States after meeting Noguchi. He moved his base of operations to the US, and unfortunately died there at a young age, so he seems to have been largely forgotten in Japan.
Meanwhile, in the United States, he held solo exhibitions and lectures in New York, and after moving to the West Coast, he influenced Beat Generation artists, becoming a celebrated figure of the era. However, it seems that he was largely forgotten after his death, simply because he was "not American."
It's all just speculation, which is such a waste.
As I reflect on the relationship between these two individuals, who traveled between East and West in their creative activities and influenced each other from their respective positions, I inevitably come across the term "globalization," which has become so popular in recent years. But long before such a term existed, were they struggling to understand the world? The meaning of the title, "Things that Change and Things that Remain Unchanged," may lie much deeper.
This is Chapter 6, a collection of works created by Noguchi from 1954 onwards, inspired by Eastern and Japanese culture. The familiar "Akari" and "Elements of the Garden," displayed in the Grand Gallery, belong to this section.
Perhaps because we have many opportunities to encounter Noguchi's work in Japan today, this exhibition room feels somehow calming. I may have been unconsciously tense in a world of values I was encountering for the first time.

Beyond the inherent appeal of the artworks themselves, this exhibition also touches on social themes such as "intercultural exchange" and "globalization." Various events featuring different speakers will be held during the exhibition period, so we encourage you to use all your senses to experience "what changes and what remains unchanged."

This event has ended.
"Isamu Noguchi and Saburo Hasegawa - Things that Change and Things that Remain Unchanged"
Exhibition period: Until March 24, 2019 (Sunday)
Venue: Yokohama Museum of Art
Opening hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM *Until 8:30 PM on Saturday, March 2nd
(Entry is permitted until 30 minutes before closing time)
Closed on: Thursdays and Friday, March 22nd. *Open on Thursday, March 21st (national holiday).