A two-person exhibition featuring a man who loved traditional Japanese culture and lived an avant-garde life

A world of art to visit, see and feel
File.9 Yokohama Museum of Art "Isamu Noguchi and Saburo Hasegawa - What Changes and What Doesn't Change" Exhibition
Miyuki Inoue (Magcal Editorial Department)

Isamu Noguchi's "Akari" series is widely known as a lighting fixture that is still manufactured and sold today. But who was "Saburo Hasegawa"?
The subtitle of the exhibition is "Rediscovering Japan in the 1950s." In the United States, where Noguchi was based, this was the heyday of the "mid-century." I'm sure Saburo Hasegawa also left behind some stylish works. I have a feeling that I'm going to encounter a wonderful world.
I went to a preview event for the press that was held just before the opening. Although gallery talks by curators are held during the exhibition, this is the only day that you can take photos of the exhibition room, so I participated in the event on behalf of the readers, digital camera in hand.
This is Isamu Noguchi's "Garden Elements," which has been on display in the Grand Gallery since Friday, November 16th, prior to the opening. Made using Mannari stone from Okayama, it is a masterpiece that had not been exhibited for a long time since it was unveiled at a solo exhibition in New York in 1959.
You can enter up to this point without paying the admission fee, so first you should take your time to appreciate the artworks in the bright and spacious space. If you find yourself thinking, "Wow," head to the ticket counter!
Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was born to a Japanese father and an American mother, and was a sculptor who was mainly active in the U.S. Saburo Hasegawa (1906-1957) was a painter and critic who studied in Paris in the early 1930s and, after meeting Noguchi, was also active in the U.S.
The two men met in Japan in 1950, shortly after the war... or rather, during the US occupation, and shared a common philosophy. Hasegawa became Noguchi's guide as he traveled around the Kansai region to visit ancient cultural heritage sites. Gardens, architecture, ink painting, calligraphy, tea ceremony, haniwa, clay figurines, bronze bells, pottery, haiku, Zen, Taoism, and more. How did the idea of "integrating the old East and the new West," which the two shared from their experiences, bear fruit in the form of a work of art? I stepped into the exhibition room in the mood to explore a slightly academic world.
The exhibition consists of six chapters and is structured so that Hasegawa's and Noguchi's works can be viewed alternately and sometimes in parallel.
Chapter 1. When I first saw Hasegawa's work, I was surprised at how avant-garde it was! There was oil painting, photography, collage, prints, rubbings, and everything else. It's a shame that the photos don't convey the "wandering feeling."
Before the war, Hasegawa was involved in the establishment of the "Free Artists Association," and after the war, he resumed his activities as a painter by founding the "Japan Avant-Garde Artists Club" in 1947. As can be seen from his career, there was an ultra-avant-garde world there that does not feel outdated even today.
I was sorry for my lack of knowledge, I didn't know there was such a cool person... I reflected. Hasegawa went to the United States after meeting Noguchi. He moved his base of operations to the United States and died young, so he was almost forgotten in Japan.
On the other hand, 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, and was a figure of note as a darling of the times. However, since he was "not American," he has hardly been talked about since his death.
It's a shame that it's just "apparently" so unhelpful.
When thinking about the relationship between these two artists, who traveled between the East and the West to create their works and influenced each other from their respective positions, one comes across the word "globalization," which has become popular in recent years. Perhaps long before such a word was even used, they were struggling to understand the world. The meaning of "What changes and what does not change" in the title may lie much deeper.
This is Chapter 6, a group of works created after 1954 by Noguchi inspired by Oriental and Japanese culture. The familiar "Light" and "Garden Elements" exhibited in the Grand Gallery belong here.
Perhaps because there are many opportunities to encounter Noguchi's work even in Japan today, this exhibition room somehow felt calm. Perhaps I was unconsciously nervous, being exposed to values for the first time.

In addition to the appeal of the artworks themselves, this exhibition is also moving for its social themes of "intercultural exchange" and "globalization." During the exhibition, events will be held with a variety of invited lecturers, so we hope you will use your five senses to experience "what changes and what does not change."

This event has ended.
"Isamu Noguchi and Saburo Hasegawa - What Changes and What Doesn't Change"
Period: Until Sunday, March 24, 2019
Venue: Yokohama Museum of Art
Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 *Until 20:30 on March 2nd (Sat)
(Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Thursdays, Friday, March 22nd *Open on Thursday, March 21st (National Holiday)