BREAKING WITH TRADITION
Influential Artists of Post-war Japan

Summer 2023

Gregg Baker Asian Arts
7 Place du Samedi
1000 Brussels, Belgium

‘Tradition’ is one of the key elements of the dynamic climate surrounding the Japanese post-war art scene. For many avant-garde artists in Japan, their traditional art and culture were not something of the irrelevant past but were a great source of inspiration, which constantly motivated them to create something new and innovative. This exhibition showcases iconic works of this period – the masterpieces from selected artists of various genres (painting, calligraphy, ceramics, metalwork and sculpture) demonstrate a strong engagement with tradition in diverse manners – their indigenous past is constantly referred to and also challenged. ‘Tradition’ motivated the modernist artists’ intense desire to break from the rigid conventions of the past and to seek for breakthroughs via experimental expression.

The artists featured include but are not limited to: the avant-garde calligraphy group Bokujinkai artists, Morita Shiryū (1912-1999) and Inoue Yūichi (1916-1985), the ceramic group Sōdeisha artists, Suzuki Osamu (1926-2001) and Yamada Hikaru (1923-2001), and other abstractionists such as Suda Kokuta (1906-1990) and Key Sato (1906-1978) amongst others.

For details, please contact us via email info@japanesescreens.com.