Kohei Nakamura (b. 1948), third son of the robust Kanazawa ceramicist family headed by Nakamura Baizan, is a master at updating classical masterpieces to match a modern point of view. Immersing his ideas amongst artistic movements from Rocco and Baroque to the ceramics of Japan’s rinpa school of art, Nakamura’s tea bowls and sculptures reference great cultural touchstones with intriguing twists; kintsugi-like Ido-style, awhite-glaze dipped kohiki, and celadon of an atypical pigmentation are prime examples of Nakamura’s mastery.
"How contemporary a shape is is less significant to me than how contemporary its underlying idea is," says Nakamura in a remark that seems to illustrate his current preoccupation well. "Today, we are increasingly awakening to a reappraisal of Japanese culture, or a return to the classical, perhaps in part to counterbalance modernism. As a ceramic artist, I consider quoting--rather than copying--old pottery and ceramics as my way of conveying their significance."
Public Collection:
National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo, Japan)
National Museum of Modern Art (Kyoto, Japan) Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum of Art (Yamaguchi, Japan) Shiga Prefectural Museum of Modern Art (Shiga, Japan) Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Modern Art (Wakayama, Japan)
Japan Foundation (Tokyo, Japan)
Shiga prefectural Togei-no-mori Museum (Shiga, Japan) 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (Ishikawa, Japan)
Nomura Art Museum (Kyoto, Japan)
"Japan House" Museum of Modern Art (Argentina) Everson Museum of Art (New York, USA)
Mint Museum (North Carolina, USA)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, USA)
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Texas, USA)
Others.
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Magic of the Tea Bowl
Volume 3 8 Jun - 31 Jul 2023Magic of the Tea Bowl (Vol.3) June 2023 The Japanese tea ceremony was first established during the sixteenth century and has continued to flourish to the present day. Closely tied...Read more -
Magic of the Tea Bowl
Volume 2 2 Jun - 7 Jul 2022Magic of the Tea Bowl (Vol.2) April 2022 The Japanese tea ceremony was first established during the 16th century and has continued to flourish to the present day. Closely related...Read more -
Tea Bowls: Art of Five Senses
Contemporary Japanese Tea Ceremony Wares 15 Mar - 7 Apr 2018Expressing Gratitude for Ippodo Gallery’s First 10 Years Shoko Aono “It (Teaism) insulates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is essentially...Read more -
Japanese Kogei
by Five Ippodo Artists 21 Oct - 28 Nov 2015Kôgei art springs from detailed technique and genuine internal soul. In honor of our artists’ participation in the Japanese Kôgei Future Forward exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design,...Read more
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Opening Reception - June 13, 6-8 PM
Magic of the Tea Bowl Vol.3 13 Jun 2023Please join us on Tuesday, June 13th, from 6 PM to 8 PM EST at Ippodo Gallery (32 E 67th Street, New York, 10065). Ippodo...Read more -
Opening Reception - June 2 5-8pm
Magic of the Tea Bowl Vol. 2 2 Jun 2022Ippodo Gallery is pleased to present another series of Magic of the Tea Bowl – Volume 2, an exhibition of tea bowls by seventeen respected...Read more
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Studio Visit: Kohei Nakamura
Magic of the Tea Bowl Volume III July 6, 2023Kohei Nakamura contemplates contemporary ideas from the mimesis of the timeless forms of Raku, Ido, and Kohiki. Kohei Nakamura, Kase Glaze Black Tea Bowl...Read more -
Put in Place: Toriawase
Elements of the Tea Ceremony September 21, 2022Toriawase Assortment ; Jihei Murase, Kohei Nakamura, and Miya Nobuho, (2022) Toriawase, meaning to 'pick together,' is the construction of the tea aesthetic before the...Read more -
How to Experience the Sensation of the Tea Bowl
Elements of the Tea Ceremony July 9, 2022What is Chanoyu? Chanoyu(Japanese tea ceremony) is a Japanese art form that seeks a deep emotional connection between the host and the guest through the...Read more