Arts Outing: Japan Society Gallery Experience—Guided Tour - Arts Initiative at Columbia University

About Japan Society

The Japan Society Gallery is among the premier institutions in the U.S. for the exhibition of Japanese art. Extending in scope from prehistory to the present, the Gallery’s exhibitions since 1971 have covered topics as diverse as classical Buddhist sculpture and calligraphy, contemporary photography and ceramics, samurai swords, export porcelain, and masterpieces of painting from the thirteenth to the twenty-first century.

Each exhibition, with its related catalogue and public programs, is a unique cultural event that illuminates familiar and unfamiliar fields of art.

Event Details

This event is part of the Arts Initiative's series of Arts Outings, where you can connect with fellow arts lovers through behind-the-scenes access to New York City's top museums and performing arts spaces.

Events are open to current Columbia and Barnard students only on a first-come, first-served basis with limited capacity.

Timeline

3:50PM: Check in at the Japan Society lobby

4:00–5:00PM: Guided group gallery tour of Kawai Kanjirō: House to House led by Museum staff

Location

Japan Society
333 East 47th Street
New York, NY 10017

Visit website

About the Exhibition

Japan Society Gallery presents Kawai Kanjirō: House to House, a solo exhibition celebrating the remarkable life and career of folk potter, poet, and artist Kawai Kanjirō (1890–1966) for the first time in the United States. Kawai is best known for his influential role in the mingei (folk art) movement in Japan, which he founded in the mid-1920s with his friends, the philosopher Yanagi Sōetsu (1889–1961) and the potter Hamada Shōji (1894–1978).

Showcasing representative works from Kawai’s personal collection that are rarely seen outside his former home (now a museum known as the Kawai Kanjirō House), the exhibition traces the evolution from the artist’s early functional ceramic ware to his late-career modernist wood sculptures. From the Kawai Kanjirō House in Kyoto to Japan House in NYC, House to House explores Kawai’s profound impact on modern art in Japan and beyond.

For more information, please visit the exhibition website.

Kawai Kanjirō / courtesy of Japan Society

Images: Courtesy of Japan Society