The Ceramics of maeda masahiro ‘Colorful Overglaze Enamel and Silver Works’

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The Ceramics of MAEDA Masahiro 

‘Colorful Overglaze Enamel and Silver Works’

May 20(Fri.)-July 16(Sat.), 2011

One  fascinating  aspect  of  MAEDA’s  work  is

that despite participating in the Japan Traditional Art

Crafts Exhibition, that has been held for over 50 years,

he continues to go his own way, breaking down the

divisions that exist between craft and art. He has also

produced  a  totally  new  form  of  the  Tea  Ceremony

through  the  creation  of  utensils,  such  as  tea  bowls

and  water  jars,  earning  a  reputation  as  one  of  the

most noteworthy contemporary artists to work within

the rigidly conventional world of Japanese traditional

crafts.

Striped  patterns  reminiscent  of  textiles,  painting-

like designs applied using delicate, colored lines, brightly

colored contemporary forms in deep blue or green, or rich

gold or silver; born in 1948 in Kumihama, Kyoto, MAEDA

Masahiro is a potter who has ushered in a completely new

form of ceramics. He initially wanted to become a painter,

but then moved on to ceramics, becoming a finalist in the

Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition and graduating in ceramics

from the graduate school of the Tokyo National University

of Fine Arts and Music in 1975. In the 36 years since then,

he has shown his uniquely creative works in the Japan Tra-

ditional Art Crafts Exhibition every year.

Contact:

Kaoru Oguro

Ippodo Gallery New York

Tel:[phone]

[e-mail]

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In  Japan,  Kutani-  and  Arita-ware  are  the

most  famous  for  multicolored  porcelain,  but

MAEDA  does  not  like  the  thick,  shiny  colors  of

Japanese overglaze decoration, instead, he uses

Western  overglaze  enamels  which  have  lower

glass content, applying them like paints to can-

vas to achieve a beautiful matte texture. In re-

cent years, he has developed a unique technique

to establish his striped and checkered styles.

He uses a white porcelain base that is fired

at a temperature of 1260º C (2,300º F), then cov-

ers this with black enamel and refires it to create

a black base. He applies numerous thin strips of

paper tape to the black surface, adds overglaze

enamel  and  fires  it,  repeating  this  process  nu-

merous  times  with  different  colored  enamels,

until  he  has  used  4,000  strips  of  tape  and  fired

each work 6-7 times. He is a true master crafts-

man and the finished result consists of multiple

layers of colored lines resembling woven textile.

Over  the  years  he  has  received  many

awards and his works are in the collections of mu-

seums around the world, but this year he received

the  prestigious  Japan  Ceramic  Society  Award.

The  exhibition  at  Ippodo  Gallery  New  York  will

consist of approximately 35 works, including new

water  jars,  pots,  tea  bowls,  vases,  etc.,  compris-

ing an exhibition where you will be able to enjoy

both a new form of ceramic beauty and the fun of

the tea ceremony.

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MAEDA Masahiro Biography

1948  Born in Kumihama Kyoto Prefecture

1975  Completed graduate studies at the Tokyo University of the Arts under the  

direction of Fujimoto Yoshimich, Tamura Koichi, and Asano Akira

1975  Won entry to the Japan traditional Art and Craft Exhibition

1983  Japanese Ceramics Today ( The Smithsonian Museum, Washington, D.C. / The Victoria and Albert

Museum of Art, London)

1990  Solo exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, Tokyo (also in 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2005)

1990  Solo exhibition at Kandori, Tokyo(also in 1991-1997)

1992  Japanese Ceramics “Now” A Selection of 100 pieces (Museum Etoile, Paris/Nihonbsdhi Mitsukoshi

Main Store)

1996  Masterworks of Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, Asian Touring Exhibit

1997・2000・2001・2006・2007・2010

Member of the Selection Committee at traditional Crafts Now Works Exhibition

2002  100 Years of Contemporary Ceramics(Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu)

2003  Japanese Ceramics Today, Part1 Part2 (Kanjitu Kikuchi Memorial Museum Tomo)

2005  Moved Arts Studio to Robbongi, Tokyo

2006  Cool & Sophisticated : Contemporary Master Ceramists of Eastern ( Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum)

2007  Maeda Masahiro Ceramics of overglaze enamels Exhibition ( Asahi Beer Oayamazaki Villa Museum

of Art)

2008  Honorable Mention, " The Second Musse Tomo Prize :

Contemporary Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony," Musee Tomo, Tokyo

2009  Maeda masahiro overglaze enamels Exhibition

(Kanjitu Kikuchi Memorial Museum Tomo)

Awards

2005  The 1st Annual Kikuchi Biennale Award - Excellent Award

2009  The 56th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition - Presidend of Japan Art

Craft Association Prize

2010  The 17th Mokichi Okada Award Exhibition - MOA Art Appreciation Prize

2011  Japan Ceramic Society - Japan Society's Award

Museum Collection

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (U.S.A.)

The Art Institute of Chicago (U.S.A.)

The Philadelphia Museum of Art (U.S.A.)

Minneapolis Institute of Arts (U.S.A.)

Asahi Beer Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art( Japan)

Moa Museum of Art( Japan)