From the Scene of Creation ―Artists’ Archives in Films and Photographs

In 1953, the Bridgestone Museum of Art, the Artizon Museum’s predecessor, established its Film Committee. In what it entitled the Art Film Series, the committee had, by 1964, filmed 61 artists and produced seventeen documentary films. These extraordinarily valuable materials record Japanese artists such as Umehara Ryuzaburo (1888-1986), Takamura Kotaro (1883-1956), and Maeda Seison (1885-1977) at work and in their daily lives.

The project was originally proposed by Ishibashi Kanichiro, the son of our founder, Ishibashi Shojiro. Taking the post of chairman of the Film Committee, Kanichiro sought “To help people who really love art and are working to understand it and also to illustrate moving portraits of leaders in the arts” in leading this project. Among the many art films produced in the 1950s, these played a pioneering role, particularly in the field of modern art, and were highly regarded in Japan and abroad, including being awarded a prize at an international film festival in Italy.

Recently, our museum has collected photographic works by Anzai Shigeo (1939-2020), who chronicled the contemporary art scene. Anzai, calling himself a contemporary art accompanist, produced, from the 1970s, portraits of artists and photographed transient works such as installations and performances.

This exhibition introduces the Art Film Series and photographs by Anzai accompanied by works of the artists pictured in these films and photographs. It includes about eighty works, both from our collection and on lease from other museums in Japan. By displaying the Art Film Series and Anzai’s work together, the exhibition offers a comprehensive view of Japanese modern and contemporary art in the making.

*Online tickets must be purchased up to 10 minutes before the end of each time slot.
*Booking is not accepted when a time slot is full.
*In-Person ticket may be purchased at the museum, if the time slot is not full.
*This admission fee gives the visitor access to the concurrent exhibitions.