Dec. 7-Jan. 26, 2020
In 1921, Kazuo Sakata (1889-1956) was first introduced to abstract painting during a trip to France, where he studied art under Fernand Leger, and then stayed for over a decade. After his return to Japan in 1933 he continued to create avant-garde works in his hometown of Okayama, established the art group Avant-Garde Okayama and helped nurture young and emerging artists.
Curated by the visual artist Kenjiro Okazaki, this exhibition of more than 200 works explores Sakata’s development in the context of what was then called “contemporary art.” It also introduces pieces by Sakata’s influences and peers Fernand Leger, Sakamoto Hanjiro, Le Corbusier, Giorgio Morandi, Nicolas de Stael, Kikuji Yamashita, Richard Diebenkorn, Jasper Johns and Isamu Wakabayashi.
Highlights include “Cubistic Figure” (1925), “Composition” (1936) and “Ann-San (Brother)” (1954).
Tokyo Station Gallery; 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Tokyo Stn. 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. (Fri. till 8 p.m.). ¥1,000. Closed Mon. 03-3212-2485; www.ejrcf.or.jp/gallery/english