KAZUKI Yasuo: A Retrospective

*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.

Hours : 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. * Ticket counter closes at 16:30
Closed : Monday (except Augsust 9), August 10 (Tue.)
Ticket :
- Adult 1,000 yen (800 yen)
- Students 800 yen (600 yen)
- Elementary school, Junior high school, High school students 500 yen (350 yen)
  * ( ) indicates Advance ticket and Group ticket prices apply to groups of 20 or more.
Organized by: The Miyagi Museum of Art, KAHOKU SHIMPO PUBLISHING CO.
Nominal support: Sendai City Board of Education, Japan Broadcasting Corporation Sendai station,
TOHOKU BROADCASTING CO., LTD., Sendai Television Incorporated, Miyagi Television Broadcasting., Ltd.,
HIGASHI NIPPON BROADCASTING Co., Ltd., Sendai FM BRADCASTING, INC.
Supervision: Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum, Kazuki Yasuo Museum
With the Cooperation of: INDEPENDENT