Moments to Fly Up: Ikeda Masuo and the Demokrato Artists

Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art

Finished

Artists

Masuo Ikeda, Ay-O, Shigeru Izumi, Yukihisa lsobe, Ei-Q, Tadashi Kato, Kojin Toneyama, Yutaka Funai, Hideo Yoshihara

Ikeda Masuo (1934ー1997) was born in Mukden, former Manchuria, and moved back to Nagano with his parents at the end of the war. After graduating from high school, he moved to Tokyo to become a painter, and through Ay-O, he met Ei-Q, who led the Democrato (Artists Association), and Kubo Sadajiro, an art critic, leader of the Souzo Biiku Movement and a collector of prints.

The Democrato (Artists Association) was active mainly in Tokyo and Osaka, and the only condition for participation was "not to exhibit in established art circles, "which attracted many artists who sought freedom in their creations. Ikeda was one of them, and he learned copperplate engraving from Ei-Q and devoted himself to printmaking under Kubo's patronage.

In 1957, Japan, which was recovering its national strength after the war, held the first international contemporary art exhibition, the Tokyo International Print Biennale. Ikeda and other artists from the Democrato group were selected to exhibit their works at the exhibition, and it became a catalyst for their breakthrough, but Ei-Q decided to dissolve the Democrato group. However, the young artists were awakened to the possibilities of printmaking and showed vigorous creative activity. Ikeda, in particular, won the International Grand Prize in printmaking at the Venice Biennale in 1966 and gained international acclaim.

This exhibition looks back on Japanese prints and paintings that attracted international attention at the time, featuring works from the museum's collection of Ikeda's works from the 1950s to 1966, a quarter of a century after his death, as well as works by artists who influenced Ikeda and with whom he was in contact.

Part I: January 20 - February 18
Part II: February 21 - March 17

Schedule

Jan 20 (Sat) 2024-Mar 17 (Sun) 2024