FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETHE ALLURE OF JAPANESE CONTEMPORARY CLAY
By:
Publisher:

Joan B. Mirviss
Mitsumura Suiko Shoin, Kyoto

ISBN 978-4-8381-0592-2

New York (November 2019). It is with great pleasure that we announce the publication of The Allure ofJapanese Contemporary Ceramics by Joan B Mirviss. Subtitled for the Japanese market: “What only theJapanese do not understand about the beauty of Japanese modern clay art!", the book was written to awaken
Japan to the extraordinary beauty, power and diversity of this art form that IS now collected by over sixty
museums in the US alone, the focus of countless exhibitions and passionately acquired by sophisticatedcollectors around the globe.
The idea and need for this bilingual book arose during a panel discussion held at the Gardiner Museum inToronto in spring of 2018 between clay artist, Kondō Takahiro and Mirviss. The resulting book explores thehistoric, artistic, economic and social factors that have effectuated the booming interest abroad incontemporary Japanese ceramics, most particularly in the United States.
The publication includes more than one hundred illustrations of artwork and exhibitions in prominent Americanmuseums and the homes of private collectors who live with their ceramic collection on a daily basis. Reflecting
on the state of the clay art field in Japan, Mirviss then focuses on twelve pioneering artists in the second sectionof the book, taking into consideration both their heritage and/or academic background as well as their genius
for balancing tradition with innovation.

Released only in mid-October in Japan, over five hundred copies of The Allure of Japanese Contemporary
Ceramics were sold within just two weeks.
The first Japanese review of this publication states:"A very bold book on modern ceramic art has just been published. Perhaps it is only
every 5 or 10 years that such a book arrives that both entertains and inspires ceramiclovers. This is the first essay about Japanese contemporary ceramics by a Western art
dealer who is also a Japanese art historian. There is no doubt it will be well worth readingin order to learn the perspectives of an overseas expert."
Yakimono-Plaza.com
The US book launch for The Allure of Japanese Contemporary Ceramics takes place November 5 in New
York City. Anyone interested in purchasing a copy, interviewing the author, or obtaining more information on
this publication is asked to contact director@mirviss.com or telephone 212-799-4021.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joan B. Mirviss is an expert and major dealer in Japanese art, specializing inceramics, ukiyo-e prints and paintings for over forty years. In the area of modern and contemporary
Japanese ceramic art, she has been the pioneering spirit and force behind this burgeoning area ofcollecting in the West. As the foremost Western dealer in this area, Mirviss exclusively represents the top
Japanese clay artists. She has organized and mounted over eighty exhibitions of modern andcontemporary Japanese ceramics at her New York gallery and international fairs, bringing the work ofcelebrated artists as well as hitherto unknown talents to the attention of the American public. Widely
published and a highly respected specialist in her field, she has advised and built collections for manymuseums and private collectors.
Ms. Mirviss received her M.A. in Japanese art history from Columbia University, and has written books
and articles on a wide range of Japanese art-related. Her clients include more than sixty museums
throughout the world. There have been numerous articles written about her and her gallery including thosepublished in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, Nikkei Asian Review, ArchitecturalDigest, Kateigaho, and ARTnews.