“Marcel Duchamp and Japanese Art”
From October 2, 2018, the Tokyo National Museum presents “Marcel Duchamp and Japanese Art.”
Marcel Duchamp is famous in the history of modern art as a pioneer of “conceptual art”; his sculpture “Fountain” — a men’s urinal simply signed by him — is a canonical work in art history. This exhibition, however, is structured to place the Duchamp Collection on the same continuous line as Japanese art.
Part 1: “The Essential Duchamp” Exhibition
The exhibition “Marcel Duchamp and Japanese Art” is composed of two parts.
Part 1, “The Essential Duchamp,” is an international traveling exhibition organized and curated by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the U.S. From the museum’s world-renowned Duchamp Collection, more than 150 items are on view including oil paintings, ready-mades, related documents, and photographs.
- Chapter 1: Duchamp as painter A Painter’s life
- Chapter 2: Can Works be Made Which are Not ‘Of art’?
- Chapter 3: Rrose Sélavy
- Chapter 4: “The Final Work” — Our Lady of Desire
Part 2: “Beyond Duchamp, One Sees Japan” Exhibition
Part 2 is composed of the Tokyo National Museum’s Japanese art collection.
It seeks to bring out the meanings and values of Japanese art originally created within a social environment distinct from the West, and to propose new ways of enjoying Japanese beauty.
- Chapter 1: Ready-mades from 400 Years Ago
- Chapter 2: Realism in Japan
- Chapter 3: The Passage of Time in Japan
- Chapter 4: The Original and the Copy
- Chapter 5: Calligraphy as “Art”
It looks set to be an exhibition that tests our capacities as viewers — our thought and imagination.
This is the first time the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s “Duchamp Collection” is shown in this concentrated form outside its home museum. In addition, it offers an exceptionally precious chance to view Duchamp’s works alongside Japanese art. One line from the press release was striking, so let us quote it here.
In this exhibition, do not merely look at “art” but “think about” it, and let the show awaken all sorts of intellectual excitement.
Overview
Special Exhibition “Marcel Duchamp and Japanese Art” *Official site here
Dates: October 2 (Tue) – December 9 (Sun), 2018
Venue: Tokyo National Museum (Ueno Park), Heiseikan Special Exhibition Galleries 1 & 2
Hours: 9:30–17:00 (last admission 30 minutes before closing)
*Open until 21:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, October 31 (Wed), and November 1 (Thu).
Closed: Mondays (open on October 8 (Mon/holiday)), October 9 (Tue)
Admission: General 1,200 yen (1,000 yen / 900 yen); University students 900 yen (700 yen / 600 yen); High school students 700 yen (500 yen / 400 yen); Junior high school students and under free
*Figures in parentheses are advance-ticket / group (20 or more) prices
*With this exhibition ticket, you can also view the general cultural exhibition (regular exhibition) once on the day of your visit during the exhibition period.
*Some Japanese art works will be rotated during the exhibition period.
