SETAGAYA ART MUSEUM 1-2, Kinuta-koen Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 157 tel: +81 (3) 3415-6011; fax: +81 3 3415-6413 internet: www.setagayaartmuseum.or.jp/index.htm
		• Rosanjin KITAOJI: Ceramics in White and Blue March 28 - July 4, 1999
			Approximately 20 pieces of sometsuke ware and shino ware by Rosanjin KITAOJI from the Shioda Collection of the Setagaya Art Museum reveal the pleasing tonal qualities of blue-and-white ceramics. In sometsuke ware, cold white porcelain contrasts with the vivid cobalt blue decoration; the warm white color found in shino ware also renders the color of fire. Throughout April, three examples of "unkinbachi," depicting cherry blossoms and maple leaves, were also on display to coincide with the cherry blossom season.
		• Saburo MIYAMOTO Exhibition April 3 - July 4, 1999
			Saburo Miyamoto (1905-1974) lived through the turbulent years of the Showa era and left a significant mark on the world of Western-style painting in Japan. Born in Komatsu in Ishikawa prefecture, Miyamoto studied the work of other artists, including Japanese painters like Takeji Fujishima and Soutaro Yasui and Europeans like Monet, Renoir, and Matisse, with insatiable curiosity and in great detail. He applied the results of these investigations to his own work and created a unique artistic world. During World War II, he made paintings such as Meeting of Generals Yamashita and Percival that received much attention. After the war, he concentrated on painting female figures in rich colors with a marvelous sense of vitality. He also contributed to the cause of Western-style painting in the postwar years by teaching at Kanazawa Municipal College of Art and Handicraft and Tama Art University as well as helping to found the Niki Society. In 1966 he was elected a member of the Japan Art Academy. During the last 40 years before his death, Miyamoto had a studio in Okusawa in Setagaya city where he produced large numbers of paintings and drawings. Last year, Miyamoto's heirs made a gift to Setagaya Art Museum of about 4000 items of his work that had been kept in the studio. This body of work, very little of which has been seen during the 25 years since his death, will now be made available to the public. Many of these paintings and drawings have never been exhibited before. They eloquently demonstrate how Miyamoto used his accomplished skills of realistic depiction to explore the myriad possibilities of painting, working hard without anyone's knowledge to produce many masterworks. This exhibition presents approximately 200 oil paintings and 100 drawings selected from the donated body of work, including both well-known and previously unexhibited works spanning Miyamoto's entire career, brilliantly revealing his achievement in painting. We hope that you enjoy this glimpse into the inner depths of an elegant world, finally brought to light 25 years after the artist's death.
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