The Gutai Art Association (commonly known as Gutai) was formed in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture in 1954, before later establishing its base of operations in Osaka’s Nakanoshima district. Led by the painter Jiro Yoshihara (1905-1972), the collective’s artists, both male and female, set out to express themselves freely without being confined by existing precedents. While Gutai was a unified group, it was unique in that the artists made use of a host of different approaches. Presented in conjunction with the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, this exhibition, dealing with the themes of differentiation and integration, examines the 18-year history of Gutai, which has at last attained international renown, and the artists’ individual practices from a wide range of perspectives.

00 GUTAI B2 s

The National Museum of Art, Osaka opened in 1977 with the primary aim of collecting, storing and displaying both Japanese and foreign contemporary art as well as conducting related research. By making use of the Expo Museum of Fine Arts, which was built for Expo '70, the museum facility continued to encourage development in Japanese contemporary art. Some thirty years after its construction, it was decided to relocate the museum and build a new structure in the form of a completely underground facility in the western section of Osaka's Nakanoshima district.
The new museum, while continuing to pursue its original goal of presenting contemporary art, will introduce an even wider range of foreign and domestic art trends in addition to engaging in activities that correspond to a variety of public needs and expectations.

Into the Unknown World - Gutai: Differentiation and Integration

Artists

Opening Hours Information