KAWASE SHINOBU (b.1950)

As the third generation of a distinguished family of ceramists, Kawase Shinobu is now regarded as Japan’s most outstanding artist working within the ancient tradition of celadon. As a fully mature artist, Kawase’s fidelity to the tenants of the Song Dynasty traditions remains, yet he moves beyond this artistic continuum with his mastery of the wheel and unrivalled range of celadon glazes. His organic, flowing forms, the most popular of which are his undulating bowls, stand apart from those created by others through the centuries. Kawase’s work has captivated collectors and curators of the Asian and Western art world with their successful fusion of the contemporary forms and ancient techniques, leading to many important awards.

1950 Born in Ōiso, Kanagawa Prefecture 1968 Graduated from high school Started working with his grandfather, Chikushun I, and father, Chikushun II, masters of Chinese- style blue-and-white and polychrome enamel porcelain.

Awards:

1978 Youngest regular member of Nihon tōji kyōkai (Japan Ceramic Society) 1981 Youngest artist to receive the Japan Ceramic Society Award 1983 Selected Artist Award, Nihon dentō kōgeiten (Japan Traditional Craft Association Exhibition) 2013 Lifetime achievement Gold Prize, Japan Ceramic Society

Solo Exhibitions:

1976 Kandori, Tokyo (1979, ’82, ’83, ’87, ‘88, ’90-’92, ’94, ’96, ’97, ’99, ‘03, ’06, ’08, ’10, and ‘13) 1985 Kochukyo, Tokyo (also in 1989, ‘98, ‘02, ‘04, ‘07, ‘09, ’12, and ‘13) 1990 Niigata 1990: Flower Vases - Ten Landscapes, Manyõdõ, Niigata 1991 Aurora, Asõ Bijutsu, Tokyo 2005 The Beauty of Celadon: Seijaku no bi, Joan B Mirviss, LTD, at International Asian Art Fair 2009 Flowering Waves of Celadon Kaseiha, Joan B Mirviss, LTD, New York, NY Ginjo Vessel – Kawase Shinobu’s Sake Cups, Kurodatoen, Ginza and Gallery Kochukyo, Tokyo 2011 Beyond Tradition–Seeking His Serene Blue: Celadon Works by Kawase Shinobu, Musée Tomo, Tokyo 2012 Art Fair Tokyo 2012, Gallery Kochūkyo, Tokyo Shiroe (White), Nakacho Konishi, Tokyo 2014 The Blossoming of Celadon, Seiji no kaika, Kawase Shinobu, Joan B Mirviss, LTD, New York, NY

Group Exhibitions:

1969 Nihon dentō kōgei shinsakuten (Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition for New Works) (thereafter annually until ‘82) 1974 Nihon dentō kōgeiten (Japan Traditional Crafts Association Exhibition), invitational (since then invited to participate every year) 1977 Kawase Chikushun: Exhibition of Three Generations, Õgaki Municipal Culture Hall, Gifu Chikushun Three Generations Exhibition, Kochukyo, Tokyo (also in ‘79, and ’81) 1980 Nihon tōji kyōkaiten (Japan Ceramic Society Selected Works Exhibition) (thereafter periodically) 1983 All Japan Traditional Crafts Selected Artists Exhibition, organized by Mainichi Newspaper Japanese Ceramics Today, Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom 1986 Contemporary Art Exhibition, organized by the Tokyo Art Club (annually through ‘04) 1989 Father-son Three Generations Show, Ōgaki Municipal Library, Gifu (also in ‘96) JOAN B MIRVISS LTD JAPANESE FINE ART 39 EAST 78TH STREET, 4TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10075 Phone: 212.799.4021 Fax: 212.721.5148 www.mirviss.com

1991 N.A.W, The Tokyo Art Club Young Men’s Association (again in ‘92) Japan Ceramics Society Award Artists Exhibition (annually until ‘95) 1993 Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections, Japan Society, New York, NY; New Orleans Art Museum, New Orleans, LA and Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI The First Chikushun, 5th anniversary of Oiso-cho Community Library 1994 Six-artist exhibition, Matsuzakaya Gallery, Nagoya 1995 Dõgu (Functional objects), Kurodatōen, Tokyo 1996 Rin – Beauty of Contemporary Ceramics, Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park Museum, Shiga Contemporary Japanese Crafts, travel exhibition sponsored by Japan Foundation, exhibited at various locations 1998 1st New Works by 7 Outstanding Artists, Sanyõdõ, Tokyo (also in ’00-‘01) 1999 Tōbi Art Fair, Vessels for Sake, Tokyo Art Club, Tokyo (again in ‘00-‘04) 2000 Searching the Charm of Celadon, Nezu Museum, Tokyo 2001 Three-person show, Tora Tora Tora, Kandori, Tokyo 2003 Hakuji seiji no sekai (White Porcelain and Celadon), Ibaraki Ceramic Art Musuem, Kasama Participated in the artist workshop Musée Tomo, Tokyo 2005-06 Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA and Japan Society, New York, NY 2006 Musée Tomo: Contemporary Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony—Free Creativity and Atypical Usage, Musée Tomo, Tokyo (11 works accepted) Transcending Tradition, Joan B Mirviss, LTD., New York, NY 2007 Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century, Japan Society, New York, NY 2008 Ichigo Ichie – Tea Bowls by Five Artists, Mitsukoshi Art Gallery, Nihonbashi ,Tokyo 2009 Breaking from Tradition Japanese Ceramics Today, Harvey/Meadows Gallery, Aspen, CO in conjunction with Joan B Mirviss, LTD., New York, NY Kikuchi Bienniale III, Musée Tomo, Tokyo Eastern Departures, Joan B Mirviss, LTD, New York, NY 2010 21st Century Exhibition of Japanese Art, Tokyo Bijutsu Club (traveled to Kyoto, Kanazawa, Toyama and Osaka) Third Musée Tomo Prize, Contemporary Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony- Free Creativity, Musée Tomo, Tokyo Viewpoint on Contemporary Kõgei (Studio Crafts), National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo Generosity in Clay: Modern Japanese Ceramics from the Natalie Fitz-Gerald Collection, Clark Center for Japanese Art, Hanford, CA 2011 Gold Prize Winners from Japan Ceramic Society, Wako Hall, Tokyo 2013 The Eight Winds: Chinese Influence on Japanese Ceramics, Joan B Mirviss, LTD, New York, NY Contemporary Kōgei Styles in Japan, Morikami Museum, Delray Beach, FL Evolution of Chinese Ceramics and Their Influence, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY Gendai no meiwan (Masterpieces of Today’s Teabowls), Musée Tomo, Tokyo 2014 The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection: Japanese Ceramics for the Twenty-first Century, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD 60th Anniversary of Japan Ceramic Society Awards Winners Exhibition, Wako, Ginza Tokyo Celadon Now: Techniques & Beauty Handed Down from Southern Sung to Today, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

Selected Public Collections outside Japan:

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Brooklyn Museum, New York, NY Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI JOAN B MIRVISS LTD JAPANESE FINE ART 39 EAST 78TH STREET, 4TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10075 Phone: 212.799.4021 Fax: 212.721.5148 www.mirviss.com

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University Ithaca, NY Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA Rhode Island School of Design Museum, RI Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MI Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, KS Victoria & Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA

Selected References:

Baekeland, Frederick. Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections. New York: Japan Society, 1993, pp. 50, 133-4, 141, and 150, cat.no. 55-56 and 76.

Celadon by Kawase Shinobu: Kawase Shinobu no seiji Musée Tomo. Tokyo: Musee Tomo, 2011.

Contemporary Kōgei Styles in Japan. Collaboration with The National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo. NHK Promotions Incorporated. October 8th, 2013- February 23rd, 2014.

Earle, Joe. Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 2005, pp. 70-71.

“50 persons representing Japanese Ceramic Art.” Honoho Geijutsu, no. 112 (Winter 2012) p. 42.

Gendai no nihon tõgei (Contemporary Ceramics in Japan), vol. 3 (1989), pp. 110-113.

Japanese Ceramics Today: Masterworks from the Kikuchi Collection. Tokyo: Hakuhōdoō Incorporated, 1983, pp. 57, 60 and 65, cat.no. 129-31 and 152.

“Kawase Shinobu: Seiji Forms Emanating Warmth and Softness.” Honoho Geijutsu, no. 91 (2007) pp. 22-27.

McClemont, Doug, “Kawase Shinobu.” ARTnews (June 2009) p. 108.

Mintz, Robert. The Betsy and Robert Feinberg Collection: Japanese Ceramics for the Twenty-first Century. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2014, pp. 187-194.

Quiet Clarity “RIN”: Beauty in Contemporary Ceramics. Shiga: The Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, 1996, pp. 32-33.

Seizō, Hayashiya. Chūmoku no gendai tõgeika jūnin (Ten Emerging Talents in Contemporary Ceramics). Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1990, pp. 48-49.

Suiji shinen: Kawase Shinobu (Emerald-green Celadon, the Depth of Beauty: Kawase Shinobu). Tokyo: Kandori, 2013.

“Tokyo-yaki: Talented Ceramic Artists Active Around the Tokyo Area.” Honoho Geijutsu, no. 66 (2001) pp. 24-27.

JOAN B MIRVISS LTD JAPANESE FINE ART 39 EAST 78TH STREET, 4TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10075 Phone: 212.799.4021 Fax: 212.721.5148 www.mirviss.com