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 preview event for the press held just before the exhibition opened. Although gallery talks by curators will be held throughout the exhibition, this was the only day that photography of the exhibition rooms was permitted, so I decided to take part in the event on behalf of our 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 of last year, ahead of the opening. Made using Mannari stone from Okayama, it is a masterpiece that had not been exhibited for a long time since it was first shown 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 born to a Japanese father and an American mother and was a sculptor who was active mainly 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, also worked in the U.S.
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 is divided into six chapters and is structured so that the works of Hasegawa and Noguchi can be viewed alternately, sometimes in tandem.
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 regretted not knowing that such a cool person existed and apologized for my lack of knowledge... After meeting Noguchi, Hasegawa moved to the United States. He moved his base of operations to the US and died there at a young age shortly thereafter, so he was apparently almost 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 ponder the relationship between these two artists, who travelled between the East and the West in their creative endeavours and influenced each other from their respective positions, I come across the term "globalisation," which has become popular in recent years. Perhaps long before such a term was coined, they were struggling to understand the world. The meaning of the title, "What changes and what remains the same," may lie much deeper.
This is Chapter 6, a group of works created after 1954 by Noguchi inspired by Eastern and Japanese culture. The familiar "Light" and "Garden Elements" exhibited in the Grand Gallery also belong here.
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).