National Museum of Art, Osaka Special exhibition “Possibilities of line expression” will be held from Sat urday, November 2, 2024 to Sunday, January 26, 2025

[National Museum of Art, Osaka] Special exhibition “Possibilities of line expression” will be held from Saturday, November 2, 2024 to Sunday, January 26, 2025 ​ Image
URL: Agency for Cultural Affairs Press release: September 27, 2024 [National Museum of Art, Osaka] Special exhibition “Possibilities of line expression” will be held from Saturday, November 2, 2024 to Sunday, January 26, 2025 Based on the theme of old and new lines, 150 works from the collection of the National Museum of Art, Osaka, mainly prints and drawings, but also paintings, sculptures, and photographs. Introducing
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Bernard Frize, Garbe, 2003, acrylic, resin, canvas, National Museum of Art, Osaka, Courtesy of the artist A picture begins by drawing a single line. There are various types of lines. Straight lines, curved lines, dotted lines, and wavy lines. The expression of the line changes depending on the material used to draw it. A thin, pointed line created by a pencil or pen. Thick, soft lines of charcoal or chalk. In addition, in traditional Oriental paintings, the lines are thought to reveal the artist’s personality. Line drawings were once used as studies or sketches for completed works, and have served as sketches to clearly outline the form of the object. Lines were a means of segmenting and drawing all existence in the world, and anchoring each entity in a world of meaning. At that time, the abstract concept of contour lines, which do not exist in reality, became the basis of painting. On the other hand, in the modern era, an independent value was found in line expression itself, and in the abstract paintings that emerged from the 20th century onwards, attention began to be focused on the formative nature of the lines themselves. Painters aimed to create new lines, and lines became equipped with an unprecedented variety of expressions and expressiveness. In this way, line became the origin of painting, and at the same time became an old and new theme that continues to expand its expressive realm. This exhibition introduces the diversity of line expression in contemporary art by selecting approximately 150 works from the museum’s collection, mainly prints and drawings, but also paintings, sculptures, and photographs. It will be an interesting place to examine how the existence of lines, which we are not often aware of on a daily basis, has an effect on our visual sense.
Highlights of this exhibition We collect works from a wide range of genres, including oil paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and sculptures, and introduce them in an easy-to-understand manner while comparing the characteristics of line expression in each. By introducing how lines are used, divided into four chapters based on their properties, we examine the role of lines in paintings and their possibilities.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47048/832/47048-832-f96bebb543cc89f32959f926987dfe18-1749×2343.jpg Shigeya Fudo, Between the Shadows (7), circa 1981, acrylic, decal, canvas, National Museum of Art, Osaka collection In addition to the four chapters, we have set up a corner for “Deceased Writers of the 2020s” at the end. We will introduce the history of contemporary art from the 20th century to the 21st century through the works of domestic and international artists who have passed away in recent years. Late writers of the 2020s Kazuo Okazaki, Shigekuma Kikuhata, Tadaaki Kuwayama, Nui Sano, Shizu Shimada, Kazuyuki Takezaki, Koichi Tanigawa, Kazutaka Narahara, Gyoji Nomiyama, Hitoshi Nomura, Michio Fukuoka, Katsura Funakoshi, Kimiyo Mishima, Ilya Kabakov, Christian Boltanski , Christo, Susan Rosenberg, Panamarenko, Frank Stella, Richard Serra
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47048/832/47048-832-f0bde663b74fa6a395eb05ed3bd82791-2453×1933.jpg Michio Fukuoka, Peach House, 1974, black reinforced polyester, wood, National Museum of Art, Osaka Collection
Exhibition composition Chapter 1 Line movement or its trace Lines can first be thought of as traces of the movements of brushes and pens used by painters. This chapter focuses on the hand movements of painters when drawing lines, and introduces the rich and diverse expressions of these lines. Thick lines, thin lines, strong lines, delicate lines. By imagining how the painters used their hands to create these colorful lines, you can relive the process of creating the work. Exhibiting artists: Chuta Kimura, Kazuichi Tsudaka, Kodai Nakahara, Masatoshi Masanobu, Lee Ufan, Wolfgang Tillmans, Emily Carme Ungwarley, Cy Twombly, Piero Manzoni
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47048/832/47048-832-6fbcda7968f23639435865ed5f42848d-1244×1000.jpg Chuta Kimura, June in Southern France, 1980, oil on canvas, National Museum of Art, Osaka collection Chapter 2 Story lines Line drawings were once drawn as studies or sketches for completed works, and served as sketches to clearly distinguish the shape of the object. Lines segment all existence in the world, It was a means of anchoring each person in a world of meaning. At that time, the existence of contour lines that did not exist in reality became the basis of the painting. In this chapter, we will look at the world of images told by these lines. Exhibiting artists: Tatsuo Ikeda, Masuo Ikeda, Kyu Ei, Yukiko Sudo, Yozo Hamaguchi, Shigeya Fudo, Kumi Machida, Keiko Minami, Yoko Yamamoto, Jonathan Borofsky
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47048/832/47048-832-331a3cdd0b40da6b672ddec7879ed5a0-2060×1652.jpg Yukiko Sudo, House and Parking Lot, 2007, oil, pencil, plaster, canvas, National Museum of Art, Osaka collection Chapter 3 Composition by straight lines A straight line can be said to be a special line with mathematical and geometric characteristics, unlike lines drawn freehand. In paintings, it has long been used for the contours and perspective of buildings, but in the 20th century, it began to appear frequently as a component of new abstract paintings such as cubism. This chapter also introduces works composed of straight lines that center on such abstract expressions. Exhibiting artists: Shusaku Arakawa, Kenji Inumaki, Yoko Sawai, Eri Takayanagi, Toeko Tatsuno, Kazumi Nakamura, Masaaki Yamada, Agnes Martin, Gerhard Richter, Brice Marden, Bernard Friz
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47048/832/47048-832-5b6dbcecd89295cec555668b6aa68955-1000×1330.jpg Kazumi Nakamura, Orange Plate, 1986, oil on canvas, National Museum of Art, Osaka collection Chapter 4 Lines and solids Two-dimensional lines develop into three-dimensional structures, transforming them into three-dimensional compositions. Sculptors who create three-dimensional works often draw sketches using lines during the production stage. Looking at the relationship between these two types of works is very interesting when thinking about the origins of sculpture. Here, we will introduce the two-dimensional and three-dimensional work of three sculptors in contrast, and consider another possibility of line expression. Exhibiting artists: Keiji Uematsu, Toyoharu Miyazaki, Kazuo Yuhara
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47048/832/47048-832-e186e17ea8c4968f42928b3e0e2af8d0-1398×1000.jpg Toyoharu Miyazaki “Seeing…” 1981 Pencil, ink, paper Collection of the National Museum of Art, Osaka
Exhibiting artist (subject to change) Chuta Kimura, Kazuichi Tsudaka, Kodai Nakahara, Masatoshi Masanobu, Lee Ufan, Wolfgang Tillmans, Emily Carme Unguwalleh, Cy Twombly, Piero Manzoni, Tatsuo Ikeda, Masuo Ikeda, Eiku, Yukiko Sudo, Yozo Hamaguchi , Shigeya Fudo, Kumi Machida, Keiko Minami, Yoko Yamamoto, Jonathan Borofsky, Shusaku Arakawa, Kenji Inumaki, Yoko Sawai, Eri Takayanagi, Toeko Tatsuno, Kazumi Nakamura, Masaaki Yamada, Agnes Martin, Gerhard Richter, Brice Marden, Bernard Friz, Keiji Uematsu, Toyoharu Miyazaki, Kazuo Yuhara, Kazuo Okazaki, Shigekuma Kikubata, Tadaaki Kuwayama, Nui Sano, Shizu Shimada, Kazuyuki Takezaki, Koichi Tanigawa, Kazutaka Narahara, Gyoji Nomiyama, Hitoshi Nomura, Michio Fukuoka, Katsura Funakoshi, Kimiyo Mishima, Ilya Kabakov, Christian Boltanski, Christo, Susan Rosenberg, Panamarenko, Frank Stella , Richard Serra
Related events Gallery talks, etc. will be held. Details will be announced on our website as soon as they are decided. Event overview Exhibition name｜Special exhibition “Possibilities of line expression” Dates｜Saturday, November 2, 2024 – Sunday, January 26, 2025 Venue | National Museum of Art, Osaka, 3rd basement floor exhibition room (4-2-55 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0005) Opening hours: 10:00 – 17:00, until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays *Last admission 30 minutes before closing Closed: Mondays (open on November 4th and January 13th, closed on November 5th and January 14th), New Year holidays (December 28th to January 4th) Sponsor | National Museum of Art, Osaka Sponsored by Daikin Industries Contemporary Art Foundation Grant | Tadao Ando Cultural Foundation Planning｜Masahiro Yasuki (researcher at our museum) Admission fee | General 1,200 yen (1,000 yen) University students 700 yen (600 yen) Prices in
parentheses are discounted rates for groups of 20 or more and nighttime discounts (applicable hours: Fridays and Saturdays from 17:00 to 20:00) Free for high school students and under, 18 years old (proof required), free for people with physical and mental
disabilities and one accompanying person (proof required) With this price, you can also view the collection exhibition held at the same time