One of Japan's most influential 20th-century ceramic artists, Mineo Okabe, was relatively unknown -- and certainly under-appreciated -- during his lifetime. Today, though, potters take great inspiration from, and collectors go gaga over, the bold new forms and styles he created.
It's often said that a troubled life for an artist results in great triumphs. Okabe (1919-1990) not only endured hardships and poverty, he was at the center of one of Japan's most notorious art scandals, so it is not surprising that he produced some of the country's most important 20th-century ceramics. A major retrospective -- more than 20 years in the making -- is showing more than 170 pieces at the National Museum of Modern Art, Crafts Gallery, Tokyo, till May 20, before traveling to five other locales.
The exhibition is divided into three sections, with the first introducing Okabe's use of traditional glazes, including white Shino, green Oribe and Yellow Seto, on engraved vessels with motifs from the Jomon Era. The second looks at tenmoku tea bowls that he based on old Chinese wares, and the final section displays his astonishing celadon wares.