Afternoon of Ceramic Wares
Details
For this meetup, we will spend an afternoon to check out following two exhibitions.
- Lucie Rie: Elegant Vessels Fusing East and West
- A Feast for the Eyes: Tableware
Meeting Time: 1:00PM (13:00)
Meeting Spot: Around the ticket booth of Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
(https://www.teien-art-museum.ne.jp/en/visit/)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First Exhibition
Lucie Rie: Elegant Vessels Fusing East and West
Venue
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
(https://www.teien-art-museum.ne.jp/en/visit/)
Admission Fee
¥1,400
Information about the Exhibition
"This retrospective marks the first large-scale exhibition in Japan in nearly ten years for Lucie Rie (1902-1995), one of the most prominent British ceramic artists of the twentieth century.
Born in Vienna, Austria, Rie first came across a potter’s wheel as a student at Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna—an enchanting meeting of which inspired her to pursue a path in ceramics. Despite having already established herself as an artist, she was forced into exile in 1938 as a result of war and moved her pottery practice to London. Her works, conveying both delicacy and strength, distinguished by their graceful forms born from the potter’s wheel, original patterns created through inlay and sgraffito, and the rich colors produced by her use of glazes, have continued to harbor an enduring appeal." [from the Museum Website]
Official Website
https://www.teien-art-museum.ne.jp/en/exhibition/lucie-rie/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Second Exhibition
A Feast for the Eyes: Tableware
Venue
Suntory Museum of Art
(https://www.suntory.com/sma/exhibition/2026_2/index.html)
Admission Fee
¥1,700
Information about the exhibition
"This exhibition is planned for visitors to enjoy “Art in Life,” our museum’s fundamental principle, through an assemblage of ceramic tableware from the early modern period, primarily the Momoyama and Edo periods (1573-1868).
Four centuries ago—long before our time—people in Japan had established the custom of seeking ceramic tablewares from many production centers and with many shapes, motifs, and uses, for hospitable settings.
Gorgeous large dishes, elegant bowls, distinctive little mukōzuke. . . focusing on the designs of these ceramic tablewares, we notice that they often carry messages of good fortune, a sense of the season, or a desire to treat guests specially through unusual vessels. Tableware and delicious food—truly a “feast for the eyes,” to delight guests even more.
The ceramic tableware enjoyed in Japan went beyond domestically produced wares to include imports, most notably from China. The Japanese, as we can see, have long had a keen interest in tableware. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to appreciate the form of each individual piece, while touching on the nature of the convivial event at which they were used." [from The museum website]
Official Website
https://www.suntory.com/sma/exhibition/2026_2/index.html
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chat session
We will take a coffee break between the first and second show to have a chat session.