“The Anonymous Portrait” @ Seibu Shibuya
I visited the opening day of Yukimasa Ida’s solo exhibition “The Anonymous Portrait,” held at Seibu Shibuya.
The artist himself announced it only at the last minute, and with an overseas exhibition looming and a clearly busy schedule, this has become a precious chance to see his work in Tokyo (the tweet has since been deleted).
Yukimasa Ida Solo Exhibition
”The Anonymous Portrait”At the Art Gallery, Seibu Shibuya.
Through various connections, the exhibition came to be held.The show runs 1/31−2/18
There are only a few works, but I would be honored if you came to view them.
Thank you very much.— Yukimasa IDA (@idayukimasa) January 29, 2018
Five Works
Although billed as a solo show, the scale was very small, with only five works on display.
It was a saving grace that a large 120-go piece was among them.
I arrived relatively early on the opening day, yet some works already bore a red sticker (sold).
A blue sticker was placed on the pig piece right before my eyes. When it comes to painting pigs, he may well be the finest in Japan—no, the finest in the world.
The horse piece felt somewhat hazy, and I didn’t quite sense Ida’s signature style in it.
Rising Prices
The “Gauguin” I saw at his solo show held in October 2017 was on display again as well.
https://art-on.jp/yukimasa-ida-2017/
What surprised me was the price. This time it was tagged at 1,400,000 yen (excluding tax)—a world of difference from when I saw it in Gifu, which left me stunned… Since there are still people who will buy it, I’ll refrain from saying more here, but you can certainly see what a sought-after artist he has become.
Summary
It seems Yukimasa Ida’s base of activity for 2018 will shift overseas.
His energetic studio work is chronicled on Instagram, but the pieces that caught my eye seem to be sent abroad and, regrettably, were not included in this exhibition.
https://www.instagram.com/yukimasaida/
His overseas activity will surely be a chance for Ida to make a great leap.
At the same time, I can’t help regretting that he is drifting away from his Japanese fans. The rising prices are gratifying for a collector, yet acquiring a new work has become all the harder.
I left the venue with mixed emotions swirling within me, yet I wish him nothing but ever-greater success.
The next solo exhibition he held in Japan after this one was “Portraits,” which opened in June 2019.
