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*There is a possibility that this exhibition's schedule may be modified in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.
July 3 (Sat.)- September 5 (Sun.), 2021
Yasuo Kazuki (1911-1974) was born in Misumi Village, Yamaguchi Prefecture (now part of Nagato City). He studied at Tokyo Fine Arts School and first entered the world of art through an art society called the Kokuga-kai. Kazuki’s artworks received much attention due to their lucid colors and peculiar sentimental underpinnings, but he was unexpectedly drafted into the army to serve in Manchuria. After the Japanese surrender, he was detained in Siberia as a prisoner of war. Despite losing many comrades in arms to the harsh conditions, he survived and was repatriated to Japan in 1947.
After returning to Japan, Kazuki never left his hometown again and used his experience during the war and his detention to create the “Siberia Series”, completing 57 works before his death. In this series, agony under extreme conditions, requiem for the dead, yearning for home, and brutal yet vivid natural beauty are expressed in heavy finish in black and yellowish-brown colors, inspiring awe and strong emotions in viewers to this day.
In this exhibition, the Siberia Series will be shown in its entirety for the first time in the Tohoku Region. Although the works in this series are normally introduced following the order which Kazuki experienced them, they were actually created in a different order. This exhibition aims to re-examine the position of the Siberia Series in Kazuki’s career by introducing it in order of when they were made and alongside with other works created by him. Additionally, it will also showcase his early works which are filled with poetic sentimentalities and paintings of everyday subjects which were drawn with great affection. This exhibition’s aim is to introduce Kazuki’s variegated appeals which do not simply stop at being the “Painter of Siberia”, and get close to the real essence of his art and message.
Image of Works
Hammock 1941
Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum
Wind 1948
The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts
Stroll 1952
Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art
Ham and Tomatoes 1953
Kazuki Yasuo Museum
To the North, to the West 1959
Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum
Nirvana 1960
Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum
Blue Sun 1969
Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum
Snowy Morning 1974
Kazuki Yasuo Museum