October 21, 2020

Yokohama Museum of Art Collection
November 14, 2020- February 28, 2021
Polyphony: Artists and Yokohama in the 1910s–1960s“Polyphony” is a musical term describing music thatconsists of multiple, independent melodic and rhythmic voices. In thisexhibition, we explore various parts of the art scene based aroundYokohama, while turning a metaphorical ear to the voices of artists andthe sounds of their creations that emerged and evolved in Yokohama
from the 1910s through the 1960s.
Over the 60 years covered by this exhibition, Japan
moved through multiple historical eras, from Meiji (1868-1912) to Taisho(1912-1926) to Showa (1926-1989), and the 1923 Great Kanto
Earthquake and World War II brought unthinkable devastation upon
many communities. It was a turbulent period for Yokohama as well, withthe city twice virtually destroyed and rising once more from the ashes.
An overview of the development of art during theseyears shows that while Yokohama produced art connected to theTokyo-based mainstream of art history, it also fostered highly

ISHIWATA Koitsu
Bankoku-bashi Bridge, Yokohama
1931
color woodblock print, 36.5×24.2cmdistinctive talents and interpersonal networks unique to a port city withan enterprising and forward-thinking spirit. Yokohama, which has beena portal for Western culture since it began welcoming ships into its harbor,
was one of the first places in Japan where Western painting techniques
were adopted, notably by the Goseda School in the final years of the Edo
Period and the Meiji Era, and became fertile ground for the growth ofWestern-style painting in Japan. Subsequent art movements arising inYokohama during the Taisho and Showa eras began with the 1919
formation of the Yokohama Bijutsu Kyokai (Yokohama Art Association),and other organizations supporting art came to be established, while
artists’ independent activities also matured. The 1960s saw theemergence of art movements in which one might see the prehistory of
Yokohama Museum of Art, which opened in 1989.
This exhibition, divided into 10 sections, focuses on
artists with ties to Yokohama, and by tracing the arc of their verbal
testimony, artwork, and creations by other closely related artists,presents a multifaceted view of approximately 60 years of art in andaround the city.

KAWAKAMI SumioYokohama is my Home Town
1967
woodblock print, colored by hand
26.6×20.1cm

KISHIDA Ryusei
Portrait of Mr. Tsubaki
1915
oil on canvas, 45.5×33.5 ㎝

YAMANAKA Haruo
Two Bored Persons
1954
oil on canvas, 130.5×162.7cm

TOKIWA Toyoko
Reminiscence
1969(1988, Print)
gelatin silver print, 33.3×49.8cm

HYODO Kazuo
Red Cloth and Pitcher
1975
oil on canvas, 60.6×72.7cm

HASEGAWA Kiyoshi
Alexander III Bridge and a French Dirigible
1930
mezzotint, 16.8×30.1cm

Highlights
1．Works of Art That Can Only Be Seen in YokohamaThis is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in about 150 carefully selected masterworks
that emerged from Yokohama-based activities, or are by artists with ties to the city. Don’t miss a fascinatingtale that could be told nowhere else!

2．Local and Global: Unknown Points of Contact Between Yokohama and Art
This exhibition delves into Yokohama’s unexpected connections to art. We find that it is a city
always open to different cultures, with a distinctive mentality of enthusiastically embracing the new. We aresure you will enjoy this exhibition, which focuses on our regional scene while also shedding light on the city’scosmopolitan international atmosphere.

3．The Last Exhibition before the Museum’s Long-term Closure
Following this exhibition, the Yokohama Museum of Art will close for some two years to undergo
a large-scale renovation. Along with the facility, the collection will also enter a long period of rest. Thus, theexhibition will function as a closing show, so please don’t miss this chance to take one last look at the current
Yokohama Museum of Art and its collection.

SectionsIntroduction Admiration for Western Art
Section 1:

The Formation of Yokohama Bijutsu Kyokai: Kawamura Nobuo and His Circle

Section 2:

Departing for France

Section 3:

Recovery from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923

Section 4:

The Rise of Shin-Hanga Prints: From Kaburaki Kiyokata to Ishiwata Koitsu

Section 5:

Yokohama in Retrospect: The World of Kawakami Sumio

Section 6:

Photography Added to the Yokohama Bijutsu Kyokai Exhibition

Section 7:

Finding International Acclaim in New York: Okada Kenzo and Isamu Noguchi

Section 8:

An Avant-Garde Pioneer: Saito Yoshishige

Section 9:

Western-Style Painters and Sculptor in the Postwar Yokohama Bijutsu Kyokai Exhibition

Section 10: The Artists Today Exhibition

OKADA Kenzo
Vertical1964
oil on canvas, 265.8×198.4cm

SAITO Yoshishige
Crane1967
wood, lacquer, 183.0×122.0cm

OKAMOTO Shinjiro
Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear andPipe, after Van Gogh1968
acrylic on canvas, 228.0×182.0cm

OutlineYokohama Museum of Art Collection
November 14, 2020- February 28, 2021
Polyphony: Artists and Yokohama in the 1910s–1960s
Venue:

Yokohama Museum of Art(3-4-1, Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, 220-0012)
https://yokohama.art.museum/eng/

Dates:

November 14 (Sat.), 2020 –February 28(Sun.), 2021

Open hours:

10:00-18:00*Last Admission at 17:30.

Closed:Thursdays (Except February 11, 2021)
December 29(Tue.), 2020 - January 3(Sun.) and February 12(Fri.), 2021

Organized by:

Yokohama Museum of Art［Yokohama Arts Foundation］

TicketAdults
University and High school students
Junior high school studentsChildren under 12

¥500
¥300
¥100Free*All visitors are required to pre-book timed tickets to visit the exhibition ‟Yokohama Museum of Art Collection.”*Visitors with disabilities and one caregiver accompanying them are admitted free of charge. (Please present a certificate at the entrance).
*Free admission for the residents in Yokohama and ages 65 and older on the third Monday of the month (Please present ‟Hamatomo Card”.)*Group visits and group discounts are not available.
*The ticket for the exhibition ‟TRIALOGUE” also gives admission to Exhibition ‟Yokohama Museum of Art Collection” for the same day.
*Online pre-booking is also required for visitors entitled to free admission (e.g.: Children under 12, visitors with invitation tickets, visitors withdisabilities.)*Booking (including free admission) and ticket sales will be available from 10:00 AM on November 14 (Sat.), 2020 at the ticket office ofYokohama Museum of Art, when there are vacancies in the online timed tickets.

ContactFujii (Ms.), Yamamoto (Ms.), Umezawa (Ms.)
Public Relations, Yokohama Museum of Art
3-4-1, Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, 220-0012 JAPAN
TEL:+81(0)45 221 0319

FAX:+81(0)45 221 0317

E-mail: pr-yma@yaf.or.jp