Exhibition overview
Kamisaka Sekka (1866-1942) is a designer and an artist whose artistic activities mostly took place in Kyoto from the Meiji till the Shōwa periods. At the beginning of the 20th century, Sekka through the observation of the cutting-edge Western arts and crafts rediscovered the splendor of the Japanese traditional decorative arts and invested a great effort into the research of Rimpa.
One of the main features of Sekka’s creative activities is developing designs that not only decorate everyday life but also contribute to the total coordination of the space. He left numerous works branching out into very diverse areas, from design sketches and handicraft drafts to furniture decorations and paintings. Sekka, while creating the style that came to be known as “The Return of Kōrin”, also worked hard to promote Kyoto’s world of design and crafts.
Starting with the exhibits from the Kyoto Hosomi Collection known for its fascinating Rimpa collection and early notice and recognition of Sekka, the present exhibition introduces a total of about 80 artworks (artworks will be rotated) including collections which have a deep personal connection with the artist. We hope you will enjoy the diverse world of Kamisaka Sekka - the artist of Modern Rimpa - who freely moved between the fields of art and design, blended classical and modern, while following the masterpieces of Rimpa beauty trends by Hon’ami Kōetsu and Ogata Kōrin, which Sekka took as his model.