The
art collection of the Seikado Bunko Library and Museum is
justly famous for works from the classical eras of Chinese
and Japanese art. It also includes masterworks, however,
from the 20th century. Important examples of the 20th-century
component of the collection were on display at the museum
in February and March. Highlighting Seikado's opening exhibition
of the new century were 50-some works from the 1920s by
the Japanese potter Kawai Kanjiro. Kawai (1890- 1966) was
an exponent of the mingei, or people's art, movement. Japan
experienced a brief flowering of democratic spirit in the
1920s, and several artists captured that spirit. Pottery
was a favored medium because it comprised practical items
for people to use in their daily lives. Idealistic artists
regarded pottery as an ideal vehicle for democratizing art.
We owe the Seikado Bunko Library and Art Museum to Yanosuke
Iwasaki, the second Mitsubishi president, and his son, Koyata,
the fourth president. They collected old Japanese and Chinese
books and Asian art to preserve the cultural heritage of
the East. |
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 The
bowl on the left, by Kawai Kanjiro, illustrates his
genius for nuancing practical items for daily life.
On the right is a 12th- or 13th-century tea bowl from
China that epitomizes the national treasures that
constitute the heart of the Seikado Museum's collection. |
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