Pola Museum Art presents "Classical Revival and Modern Japanese Ceramics"

The Pola Museum of Art has been holding a collection exhibition, "Classical Revival and Modern Japanese Ceramics", until September 5, 2021 (Sun). The exhibition features about 60 masterpieces from the Pola Museum of Art's collection, including works by artists such as Rosanjin, Hajime Kato, Mineo Okabe, Toyozo Arakawa, and Toyo Kaneshige Soyo, who found new possibilities for expression in the beauty of ancient ceramics.

Mineo Okabe circa 1966 Photo by Omi Shigeharu

Hajime Kato 1968

© Kuwata Takuro, Photo by Kioku Keizo, 2017

The re-creation in modern times of historically venerated ceramic traditions is known as classical revival. Song Dynasty celadon and Ming Dynasty red overglaze ceramics that had been highly admired by Chinese aristocrats and literati, and Shino, Oribe, and Bizen wares favored by Japanese tea masters during the Momoyama Period inspired new expression among modern Japanese potters. Their interaction with traditional ceramics opened new possibilities for expression, resulting in new beauty works that surpassed models from the past. Much more than an achievement of highly skilled technique, classical revival works reflect the transmission of aesthetics that have resonated with the Japanese people through the ages to the 21st century. The exhibition introduces approximately 60 ceramic pieces from the collection, crafted by Rosanjin, Hajime Kato, Mineo Okabe, Toyozo Arakawa, Toyo Kaneshige, and others.