Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum/International Library of Children’s Literature Collaboration #1 Dalí, Warhol, Yayoi Kusama: Picture Books as a Locus of 20th Century Art History
Recent years have witnessed a remarkable number of cross-institutional partnerships in Ueno, collaboratively leveraging the strengths and specializations of the area’s many museums and libraries in service of a common goal: the identification and creation of newfound cultural value. In this installment, we take a closer look at the fruits of one such partnership between the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Diet Library’s International Library of Children’s Literature. Coinciding with the concurrent exhibitions Ueno Artist Project 2019: “Artists Look at Children” (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum) and 100 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art in Picture Books – From Dada to New Painting (International Library of Children’s Literature), each institution played host to a public talk event as part of a joint series exploring the keyword “children.” On November 30th, 2019, curators from the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum gave the series’ inaugural lecture to a sizable audience at the International Library of Children’s Literature.
A curator provides commentary on major global art trends, illustrated with a chronology of 20th century art prepared by the International Library of Children’s Literature.
The lecture was held in a seminar room inside the Arch Building at the International Library of Children’s Literature, with opening remarks delivered by the library’s director, Kenichi Terakura. He began by noting how the library has been a proactive organizer of public lectures and exhibitions, with the aim of sharing a love of picture books with a wider audience. Addressing the present collaboration with the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Director Terakura remarked:
“The library has co-hosted events with the Ueno Zoo and the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in the past, and I had similarly hoped to find an opportunity to partner with an art museum. Fortunately, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum happened to reach out, paving the way for today’s lecture.”
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum curator Junko Okamoto delivered a presentation titled, “An Introduction to 20th Century Art History.”The seminar room was packed with attendees, who contributed to a lively Q&A session following the lecture.
The director ceded the podium to Junko Okamoto, a curator at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, who gave a talk titled, “An Introduction to 20th Century Art History.”
The 100 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art in Picture Books exhibition, held at the International Library of Children’s Literature, featured a wide collection of picture books dating from the dawn of the 20th century to the present day, displayed in a way that reflected the milestone movements of art history. As visitors proceeded through the exhibition, they were able to visually experience the chronological evolution of the picture book genre, while doubly learning about the full spectrum of 20th century art history.
Okamoto projected images of specific picture books from the exhibition, pointing out the strong influence of Dada, Surrealism, the Russian avant-garde, the Bauhaus, and other early art movements. Her lecture branched out from each book, painting a comprehensive picture of 20th century art in a larger sense. In the latter half of her talk, Okamoto also addressed Japanese picture books, and demonstrated how the medium took root and transformed over the years.
As Okamoto recounted: “Following the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum’s extensive renovation and grand reopening, we began planning independent exhibitions that emphasized a specific theme. As curators, we debated how to best go about sharing art history with the young generation. The Art in Picture Books exhibition at the International Library of Children’s Literature showed us a new realm of possibility, another viable approach to deepening visitors’ understanding of art history. It was a highly stimulating exhibition, and a learning experience for which I’m grateful.”
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum curator Hiroko Tanaka provided an informative introduction to the Artists Look at Children exhibition.
The second lecture was given by Hiroko Tanaka, exhibition curator for Artists Look at Children at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. As she explained, “We all begin life as children. We all experience childhood, and some of us will go on to become parents, raising children of our own. This exhibition explored each artist’s conception of childhood, as expressed in richly varied, multilayered work.” Tanaka introduced specific pieces included in the exhibition, and even related anecdotes about each artist, providing an added layer of context sure to enhance participants’ appreciation of the work.
Text：Naoko Tsunoda (Fillmore East Co., Ltd.) Photos：Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
Event list
■Ueno Artist Project 2019: “Artists Look at Children” Dates: Saturday, November 16th, 2019 – Sunday, January 5th, 2020 Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Gallery A, C
Note: This exhibition has ended.
■100 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art in Picture Books – From Dada to New Painting Dates: Tuesday, October 1st – Sunday, November 17th, 2019 Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 – Sunday, January 19th, 2020 Venue: International Library of Children’s Literature, Brick Building, 3F Museum
