Biography

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.

 

作品
  • Kohei Nakamura, Ido Tea Bowl - 井戸茶碗(筒井筒写)
    Kohei Nakamura
    Ido Tea Bowl - 井戸茶碗(筒井筒写)
    Ceramic
  • Kohei Nakamura, Calligraphy "Ensō" - 書「円相」
    Kohei Nakamura
    Calligraphy "Ensō" - 書「円相」
    Calligraphy
  • Kohei Nakamura, Kase Glaze Black Tea Bowl - カセ釉黒楽茶碗
    Kohei Nakamura
    Kase Glaze Black Tea Bowl - カセ釉黒楽茶碗
    Ceramic
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