Works by 12 living national treasures return to Japan for special exhibition

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:18 JST, October 29, 2022

ATAMI, Shizuoka — Works by 12 living national treasures have returned to Japan for a special exhibition at the MOA Museum of Art in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture.

The exhibition “Homo Faber, 12 Stone Garden: Fukasawa Naoto and 12 Living National Treasures” opened at the museum on Friday.

The Italian city of Venice held a Homo Faber event this spring as part of its “Biennale Arte 2022” international art exhibition, which featured the Stone Garden artworks as part of programs showcasing the work of the living national treasures — individuals designated as holders of an important intangible cultural property.

The MOA museum is displaying 28 works by the artists that highlight such traditional crafts as ceramics and lacquer through Dec. 11.

The works include Kazumi Murose’s maki-e lacquerware designs, Imaizumi Imaemon’s overglazed porcelain and Noboru Fujinuma’s bamboo work, displayed in a serene space devised by designer Naoto Fukasawa.

“I want to tell people that Japanese artists have great value and talent that the world can learn from,” said Alberto Cavalli, executive director of the Michelangelo Foundation.

The exhibition is a joint venture organized by the MOA Museum of Art, the Michelangelo Foundation and the Japan Kogei Association, and supported by The Yomiuri Shimbun.