Exhibition/event has ended.
Towards Harmony: Le Corbusier and the Art of the Second Machine Age
National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo
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Artists
Le Corbusier
This exhibition presents paintings and drawings from the last years of the Swiss-born French architect and painter Le Corbusier (1887-1965). This was new work born from an environment that was completely different from his early years. The devastation caused by World War II and the threat posed by the Cold War that followed forced Le Corbusier to reexamine his prewar artistic tendencies, the so-called "First Machine Age," in which he advocated machine universalism, and he was forced to rethink his approach to art while remaining true to his modernist creed and remaining close to human emotions and spiritual needs. The company's designers came to believe that they had to respond to the demands of the market. He sought to infuse poetic inspiration into human life, which had previously been viewed as merely a geometric animal. It was in this intellectual environment that he designed the main building of the National Museum of Western Art (opened in 1959), through which he sought to express new ideals appropriate to a new era.
From the mid-1930s, Le Corbusier's paintings took a drastic departure from the early Purist style, as he sought to fuse natural forms such as bones, shells, and the human body with rigorous geometric composition, creating works that were studded with motifs such as open hands and a bull with multiple faces. The result is a unique world of symbolism. It could be called the "Second Machine Age," and it aimed to harmonize man and machine, emotion and rationality, and art and science. In particular, the open hand, symbolizing the interrelationship of giving and receiving, became the emblem of his work during this period.
This exhibition consists of about 20 works (about 30 works including replacement works), including large works such as "Bull XVIII" and about 10 drawings that show the process of production, and are on loan from the Taisei Corporation, which holds one of the world's largest collections of Le Corbusier's works. This exhibition will be a rare opportunity to trace the development of the artist's painting production during his mature period. The drawings will be changed midway through the exhibition (6/27). This exhibition is organized by Robert Wojcutzke, Research Fellow at the National Museum of Western Art.
From the mid-1930s, Le Corbusier's paintings took a drastic departure from the early Purist style, as he sought to fuse natural forms such as bones, shells, and the human body with rigorous geometric composition, creating works that were studded with motifs such as open hands and a bull with multiple faces. The result is a unique world of symbolism. It could be called the "Second Machine Age," and it aimed to harmonize man and machine, emotion and rationality, and art and science. In particular, the open hand, symbolizing the interrelationship of giving and receiving, became the emblem of his work during this period.
This exhibition consists of about 20 works (about 30 works including replacement works), including large works such as "Bull XVIII" and about 10 drawings that show the process of production, and are on loan from the Taisei Corporation, which holds one of the world's largest collections of Le Corbusier's works. This exhibition will be a rare opportunity to trace the development of the artist's painting production during his mature period. The drawings will be changed midway through the exhibition (6/27). This exhibition is organized by Robert Wojcutzke, Research Fellow at the National Museum of Western Art.
Schedule | Apr 9 (Sat) 2022-Sep 19 (Mon) 2022 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Adults ¥500; University Students ¥250; High School Students and Under, Seniors 65 & Over, Persons with Disability Certificates + 1 Companion free. | ||||||
| Website | https://www.nmwa.go.jp/jp/exhibitions/2022lecorbusier.html | ||||||
| Venue | National Museum Of Western Art, Tokyo https://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/ | ||||||
| Location | 7-7 Ueno-Koen, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0007 | ||||||
| Access | 1 minute walk from the Koen exit of JR Ueno Station, 7 minute walk from the Main exit of Keisei Ueno Station on the Keisei line. | ||||||
| Phone | 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial) | ||||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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