On November 16, the 40th Suntory Prize for Social Science and Humanities (sponsored by the Suntory Foundation) announced that, in relation to art, KYŌTANI Yoshinori (Associate Professor, Kyushu University) for his monograph titled ‘Gaisenmon to Katsujiga no fūzoku shi: Hakanaki supekutakuru no chikara’ was awarded in the Literary and Art Criticism category. (Japanese)
The Domon Ken Award (sponsored by the Mainichi Newspapers Co.), the award for a photographer who has made excellent achievements in the previous year, announced that the 37th winner was USHIODA Tokuko for her photobook titled ‘Views of Books: BIBLIOTHECA’. (Japanese)
On July 1, the National Center for the Promotion of Cultural Properties (Director: ASAHI Mitsuru) was established within the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage. It was founded in response to a report by the Council for Cultural Affairs, which had proposed the active utilization of cultural properties. It aims to utilize tangible cultural properties in Japan through four projects: Planning, Loan Promotion, Preservation and Digital Resources. (Japanese)
On November 30, the Japan Art Academy (Director: KUROI Senji) announced that it had elected two new members to the Japan Art Academy for their outstanding achievements in artistic activities. Yōga artist MAKOSHI Yōko and critic and translator HAGA Tōru were elected. The election was officially announced by SHIBAYAMA Masahiko, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on December 15. (Japanese)
On March 21, the Nakanoshima Kosetsu Museum of Art (Nakanoshima, Kita Ward, Osaka City) was opened to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Kosetsu Museum of Art (Mikage, Higashinada Ward, Kobe City), which houses the collection of Japanese and East Asian antiquities collected by MURAYAMA Ryūhei, founder of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper company. The Nakanoshima Kosetsu Museum of Art, located on the fourth floor of Nakanoshima Festival Tower West in Osaka’s business district, features the Nakanoshima Genan Tea House, a reproduction of the tea house Genan (Important Cultural Property) in the former Murayama family residence, and the Murayama Ryōhei Memorial Room, which introduces the founder’s life story. The exhibition titled ‘Shugyoku no Murayama korekushon: aishi, mamori, tsutaeta’ was held as a commemorative exhibition for the museum’s opening with five thematic periods from March 21, 2018, to February 11, 2019. (Japanese)
On July 3, the special exhibition titled ‘JOMON: 10,000 Years of Prehistoric Art in Japan’ opened at the Tokyo National Museum (until September 2). The exhibition focused on the dynamic beauty of Jōmon pottery, stoneware and clay figurines as the origin of Japanese craftmanship. It included six objects designated as National Treasures, such as a vessel with flame-like ornamentation and dogū (clay figurine) known as ‘Jomon Venus’, as well as a section on the originality of Jōmon pottery, with earthenware from around the world from the same period. (Japanese)
On December 19, the winners of the VOCA Prize, which encourages young artists who create two-dimensional artworks, were announced. The Grand Prize of the VOCA was given to TOJŌ Shinnosuke (‘Atene Nagano Tokyo no kabe ni arudearō mosha’). ISHIBA Ayako (‘2 to 3, moshiku wa sore igai (sobo no ie)’) and Jong YuGyong (‘Let’s all go to the celebration square of victory!’) jointly received the VOCA Encouragement Prize. ENDŌ Kaoru (‘Uesu’) and mé (‘Akuriru gasu’) jointly received the VOCA Honorable Mention Prize. The Ohara Museum of Art Prize was given to KITAMURA Mika (‘TOPOS’). The VOCA exhibition 2019, where the winners’ works were exhibited, was held at the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo from March 14 to March 30 in 2019. (Japanese)
On March 22, the Japan Art Academy (Director: KUROI Senji) announced the recipients of the 74th Japan Art Academy Prize. The Imperial Prize and the Japan Art Academy Prize were given to TABUCHI Toshio (for his nihonga painting ‘Uzushio’, exhibited at the Centennial exhibition of Japan Art Institute’s Revival) in the Fine Arts category; and HAGA Tōru (for his monograph titled ‘Bunmei to shite no Tokugawa nihon: 1603-1853’) in the Literature category. In the Fine Arts category, YUYAMA Toshihisa (for his yōga painting titled ‘l’Aube (yoake), exhibited at the third Kaiso Shin-Nitten)’, MITAMURA Arisumi (for his lacquerwork titled ‘Tsuki no hikari Sono saki ni’, exhibited at the third Kaiso Shin-Nitten) and TSUCHIHASHI Yasuko (for her calligraphy titled ‘Katsushika no sato’, exhibited at the fourth Kaiso Shin-Nitten) received the Japan Art Academy Prize. (Japanese)
The winners of the 13th Western Art Foundation Prize, which publicly honor individuals and organizations involved in curating exhibitions that have contributed to the understanding of Western art and academic research in the field of Western art, were announced. The Academic Prizes for individuals were given to HIRANO Itaru, Curator of the Museum of Modern Art, Saitama (for the exhibition titled ‘Diego Rivera and His Contemporaries’) and YASUI Hiroo, Curator of the Mitsubishi ichigokan Museum, Tokyo, (for the exhibition titled ‘Redon – The Secret Garden’). The Cultural Promotion Prize for institutions was given to the Kajima Foundation for the Arts for its research promotion through research grants, publication support and international exchange support for the exhibition titled ‘Lucas Cranach the Elder: 500 Years of the Power of Temptation’ (National Museum of Western Art) and others. (Japanese)
With the conclusion of the Comprehensive and Advanced Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP11 Agreement), a multilateral economic partnership agreement aimed at economic liberalization by the countries of the Pacific Rim, and the amendment of the Copyright Act by the TPP Development Act, the term of protection of copyrights was extended from 50 years after the copyright holder’s death to 70 years. (Japanese)
On March 28, the government budget for the fiscal year 2018 (Heisei 30) was passed. The budget for the Agency for Cultural Affairs became ¥107.729 billion, increasing by 3.3%, which is ¥3.457 billion increase compared to the previous year. The budget is divided into five principal projects as follows: 1. Creation and development of culture and arts, and cultivation of human resources; 2. Preservation, utilization and succession of Japan’s precious cultural properties; 3. Creating Social and Economic Value utilizing Cultural Resources; 4. Disseminating Diverse Culture and Arts to Improve Japan’s Brand; and 5. Improvement/enhancement of the foundation for the promotion of culture. A major category whose budget increased is as follows: In project 3, ¥50 million for ‘Projects to revitalize the arts market’. (Japanese)
On July 11, the laureates of the 30th Praemium Imperiale in Honor of Prince Takamatsu (organized by the Japan Art Association), which publicly honors individual world artists, were announced. In relation to art, the laureates were Pierre Alechinsky, a Belgian contemporary artist and a member of the avant-garde art group ‘CoBrA’ (1945 – 1951), who expresses his inner feelings in versatile styles, employing his free brushwork influenced by calligraphy and the quick drying properties of acrylic paints, in the Painting category; NAKAYA Fujiko, known worldwide as a ‘fog artist’, who first presented her ‘fog sculpture’ made of artificial fog using water at the 1970 Osaka World Exposition and has since produced more than 80 works, including installations, performances and environmental sculptures using fog in the world, in the Sculpture category; and Christian de Portzamparc, a French architect and urban planner, who became famous for his work called ‘City of Music’ and is highly regarded for his work such as on the Nexus World Housing in Fukuoka City. (Japanese)
On April 1, the Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo in Kyōbashi, was reorganized into the National Film Archive of Japan (Director: OKAJIMA Hisashi), an institution specializing in film at the Independent Administrative Institution National Museum of Art. The National Film Archive of Japan is coequal with other national museums and further strengthened its function as a national center for the promotion of Japanese film culture. (Japanese)
On July 20, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on three people to be designated as Important Intangible Cultural Properties (Living National Treasures) to HAYASHI Yoshimasa, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes KOMIYA Yasumasa, studied under his father Yasutaka, a Living National Treasure, who mastered the traditional techniques of Edo komon, realizing the exquisite patterns represented by the ‘renko pattern’ by paying thorough attention to the fabrics suitable for dyeing, Japanese stencil paper and glue; and YAMAGISHI Kazuo, studied chinkin (sunken gold) under MAE Taihō and makie lacquer technique under MATSUDA Gonroku, who refined his skills with originality and ingenuity and expanded the possibilities of expression by effectively interweaving the techniques of chinkin and other techniques. (Japanese)
On April 17, the Agency of Cultural Affairs submitted a document titled ‘Towards the revitalization of the art market’ to the fourth meeting for the through promotion of structural reforms of the Council on Investments for the Future “Regional Economy and Infrastructure” (SMEs, tourism, sports culture). The concept of ‘leading museums’ referred to in the document caused a stir in the art world, resulting in the Japanese Council of Art Museums issuing a statement on June 19 that museums should not engage in activities aimed at involvement in the art market. (Japanese)
On July 20, the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report on 209 structures to be designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties to HAYASHI Yoshimasa, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The list includes the Alps Wing of Mampei Hotel (Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano Prefecture), which combines a European medieval townhouse style with taste of Japanese style; and the Saikai Bridge (Sasebo City and Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture), a large-scale steel bridge with the longest span in the East Asia when built in 1955. (Japanese)
The recipients of the Asahi Prize for the fiscal year 2017 (sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun Foundation) were announced. In relation to art, art director KITAGAWA Fram received the prize for ‘revitalising local communities and culture with art festivals in satoyama and islands’. (Japanese)
On January 1, the winners of the 59th Mainichi Art Award (sponsored by the Mainichi Newspapers Co.), the annual award given to outstanding individuals in art and culture, were announced. In Art Category I (Painting / Sculpture / Crats / Graphics), artist and sculptor ENDŌ Toshikatsu won for his exhibition titled ‘ENDO Toshikatsu: The Archaeology of the Sacred’ held at the Museum of Modern Art, Saitama. (Japanese)
On February 26, the National Museum of Western Art announced that one of Claude Monet’s series of paintings, ‘Water lilies: Reflection of Willows’, collected by businessman MATSUKATA Kōjirō was found in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The work, purchased by Matsukata directly from Monet in 1921, which had been removed from its wooden frame and rolled into a cylinder, was discovered in September 2016 in a storage room in the Louvre. The work was subsequently returned by the French government to the Matsukata family, who donated it to the National Museum of Western Art in November 2017. The museum carried out restoration work on the painting and unveiled it in its special exhibition entitled, ‘The Matsukata Collection: A One-Hundred-Year Odyssey’, from June 11 to September 23, 2019. (Japanese)
On March 7, the Agency for Cultural Affairs announced the recipients of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize for the fiscal year 2017. In the Fine Arts category, artist SUGITO Hiroshi for his exhibition titled ‘Hiroshi Sugito module and lacura’ and artist NISHINO Tastu (also known as Tatzu Nishi) for his exhibition titled ‘Tatzu Nishi in Beppu’ shared the prize. In the Criticism category, art historian Professor Emeritus at the University of Tsukuba, OMUKA Toshiharu for his monograph titled ‘Hijōji no modanizumu’ and art critic SAWARAGI Noi for his monograph titled ‘Shin nijutsu ron’ share the prize. In the Media Art category, animator YAMAMURA Kōji was awarded for his animation titled ‘Yamamura Kōji migime to hidarime de miru yume’. The three recipients of the Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists were artist IWASAKI Takahiro for his exhibition titled ‘Turned Upside Down, It’s a Forest’ in the Fine Arts category; director of a non-profit organization (NPO), Creative Support LET’S, for her social inclusion project titled ‘Hyōgen miman, Jikkenshitsu’ in the Development of Art category; and artist WADA Ei for his music project titled ‘Electronicos Fantasticos!’ in the Media Art category. (Japanese)