The Art Institute of Chicago, 2023
Purchase from the Art Institute Museum Shop.
Available to booksellers from Yale University Press.
Since World War II, women artists from Japan have made influential contributions to ceramics that have not been duly recognized. This catalogue focuses on thirty-six ceramists who have produced original and technically innovative pieces over the past fifty years while working outside the traditional, male-dominated Japanese studio practice and its countermovements.
Both established and emerging artists with diverse styles are presented together to showcase their collective achievements and impact. After embarking on their careers decades ago, Mishima Kimiyo (b. 1932), Tsuboi Asuka (b. 1932), and Ogawa Machiko (b. 1946) continue to produce groundbreaking sculpture that pushes the limits of the clay medium. Konno Tomoko (b. 1965), Aoki Katsuyo (b. 1972), and Tanaka Yū (b. 1989) are part of the younger generations represented by works that explore themes ranging from bodily distortion to fantastical decoration. Many of these creators have resisted gendered expectations, whether by approaching traditionally “feminine” subjects like flowers in unconventional ways or by working in so-called masculine modes, including on large scales. All of the selected pieces are from the exemplary private collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, who have advocated strongly to bring these artists to global attention.
Edited by Joe Earle
With contributions by Joe Early, Hollis Goodall, and Janice Katz
128 Pages, 9.75 x 11 in.
90 color illus.
Hardcover $30 ($27 members)
ISBN: 978-0-300-273236
