[Special Exhibition]
Shinshu Artists’ Perspectives: Fifty Years of Painting

Overview

This fifty-year period stretches from 1945, in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, as efforts were underway to rebuild the nation and restructure industry amid postwar devastation and confusion, to 1995, which marked the start of a new era of disasters when the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake wreaked enormous damage on Hyogo Prefecture. In this exhibition, we introduce paintings by 18 artists with links to Nagano Prefecture that date from these years.

The exhibition is divided into two sections, the first of which spans 1945 to the early 1970s, as postwar democratic reforms advanced followed by an era of high economic growth designed to revive the country. Notable during this period were artists who showed their works in unjudged, open-call exhibitions and galleries without joining one of the conventional art groups that had flourished before the war; and artists who moved to America, which had emerged as the center of the international art scene. The second section, focusing on the late 1970s to 1995, deals with the resurgence of painting, which had reached an impasse in the 1970s, through events such as an economic boom that was sparked by the bubble economy and a sudden rise in the culture industry. This era was particularly distinguished by artists who, under the influence of Formalism, set their sights on making pure painting – a trend that spread from the city to the countryside. 

It is our hope that this exhibition will provide viewers with a deeper understanding of how painting, the fundamental artistic medium, evolved through social trends and international relations; and the uniformity of postwar painting as seen in the artists’ unwavering commitment to their work regardless of changing times. 

【Artists】
Ikeda Masuo / Onosato Toshinobu / Kusama Yayoi / Kusumoto Masaaki /Komatsu Yoshikazu /Komatsuzaki Hiroko / Koyama Rieko  / Takamizawa Fumio / Tatsuno Toeko / Negishi Yosiro / Fujimatsu Hiroshi / Horiuchi Kesao / Horiuchi Koji / Matsuzawa Yutaka / Maruta Kyoko / Miyasaka Ryosaku / Motai Toshiya / Yoda Toshihisa

Information

Period: February 1(Sat) - April 6 (Sun), 2025
Opening Hours: 9:00−17:00 (last admission 16:30)
Venue: Main Building 1F/2F Exhibition Gallery 1,2,and 3
Closed: Wednesdays

Admission

Adults: 1,000 (900) yen
University students & Seniors Over 75: 800 (700) yen
High school students & children under 18: Free
*Fees in parentheses apply to groups of 20 or more people and other discounts.

Combined Tickets (Special Exhibitions + Collection Exhibitions)
Adults: 1,500yen
University students & Seniors Over 75: 1,100 yen

Access

There is no general visitor parking available at the Nagano Prefectural Art Museum.
Use of public transportation is encouraged.

Public Transport

①bus

・From the No.1 bus stop of the Zenkoji Exit bus station at the JR Nagano Station, take the Alpico Route 11 bound for Uki via Zenkoji Temple, Route 16 bound for Wakatsuki Higashijo via Zenkoji Temple and Wakatsuki Danchi, or Route 17 bound for Wakatsuki Higashijo via Zenkoji Temple and Nishijo, and get off at the Zenkoji-kita bus stop. It takes about 15 minutes. The museum is a 3-minute walk east from the stop.

・ From the No.1 bus stops of the Zenkoji Exit bus station at the JR Nagano Station, take Binzuru-go buses bound for Zenkoji Temple, and get off at the Zenkoji Daimon bus stop. The ride takes approximately 13 minutes. Walk along the omotesando approach up to the main hall of the Zenkoji Temple, then turn right toward Joyama Park; approximately a 10-minute walk.
On weekends and holidays, get off at the Joyama Koen-mae bus stop.

②train

 If you take the Nagano Dentetsu Line, get off at Zenkoji-shita Station and walk toward Joyama Park; approximately 10 minutes.

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