Exhibition/event has ended.
Henry Darger "A Story of Girls at War—Of Paradises Dreamed"
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (Tokyo)
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Artists
Henry Darger
Orphaned at an early age and sent to an asylum after being diagnosed as mentally deficient, Darger (1892-1973) lived a solitary life from his youth until his death at 81. During this time, he wrote an epic story and created great numbers of paintings. His paintings, which he produced continuously away from public scrutiny, were left to his landlord, Nathan Lerner, an artist in his own right and a central figure of the New Bauhaus in Chicago. Thanks to Lerner’s perceptive eye, Darger’s works were kept intact after his death. Since then, his works have been extensively studied and surveyed, and now reside in part in the Collection de l'Art Brut in Lausanne. Recently, Darger has become a focus of growing interest and exhibitions of his works have been mounted at major museums throughout the world.
Though Darger created many images depicting cruelty, such as torture and genocide, this exhibition focuses on a different aspect of Darger’s world—images of paradise in which young girls innocently play. The exhibition showcases 15 paintings (*see note), including a large-sized collage made early in his creative life entitled "The Battle of Calverhine" and paintings used as story illustrations, along with about 30 smaller pieces depicting flags of imaginary kingdoms and fantasy creatures. Many of these works, which are on loan from the Lerner Collection, appear in Japan for the first time. This exhibition also traces the lonely life of Darger the creator through photos of the room where Darger resided, which give an idea of how he lived, as well as works by Nathan Lerner, who as Darger’s landlord gave the artist moral support while he was alive and strove to introduce the world to his genius after he died. In his work, Darger’s work encompasses a variety of issues -- war, peace, discrimination, the nobility of life -- issues identical to those faced by modern Japanese society. By introducing Darger’s work, we hope to provide an opportunity to reflect upon the meaning of life and the role of art.
(*some paintings have images on both sides, so a total of 24 images are on display)
Guided tour (in English/ tour will be given by a museum staff):
April 28 (Sat)
May 12 (Sat), 26 (Sat)
June 9 (Sat), 23 (Sat),
July 14 (Sat)
all at 2:30pm (approximately 30 mins)
[Image: Henry Darger; Copyright: Kiyoko Lerner]
Though Darger created many images depicting cruelty, such as torture and genocide, this exhibition focuses on a different aspect of Darger’s world—images of paradise in which young girls innocently play. The exhibition showcases 15 paintings (*see note), including a large-sized collage made early in his creative life entitled "The Battle of Calverhine" and paintings used as story illustrations, along with about 30 smaller pieces depicting flags of imaginary kingdoms and fantasy creatures. Many of these works, which are on loan from the Lerner Collection, appear in Japan for the first time. This exhibition also traces the lonely life of Darger the creator through photos of the room where Darger resided, which give an idea of how he lived, as well as works by Nathan Lerner, who as Darger’s landlord gave the artist moral support while he was alive and strove to introduce the world to his genius after he died. In his work, Darger’s work encompasses a variety of issues -- war, peace, discrimination, the nobility of life -- issues identical to those faced by modern Japanese society. By introducing Darger’s work, we hope to provide an opportunity to reflect upon the meaning of life and the role of art.
(*some paintings have images on both sides, so a total of 24 images are on display)
Guided tour (in English/ tour will be given by a museum staff):
April 28 (Sat)
May 12 (Sat), 26 (Sat)
June 9 (Sat), 23 (Sat),
July 14 (Sat)
all at 2:30pm (approximately 30 mins)
[Image: Henry Darger; Copyright: Kiyoko Lerner]
Schedule | Apr 14 (Sat) 2007-Jul 16 (Mon) 2007 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Adults ¥1100, University and High School Students ¥700, Junior High and Elementary School Students ¥500. | ||||
| Venue | Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (Tokyo) http://www.haramuseum.or.jp/en/hara/  | ||||
| Location | 4-7-25 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0001 | ||||
| Access | 8 minute walk from Kitashinagawa Station on the Keikyu line, 15 minute walk from the Takanawa exit of JR Shinagawa Station; From JR Shinagawa Station, take the Toei bus and get off at Gotenyama. The venue is 4 minute walk from there. | ||||
| Phone | 03-3445-0651 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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