TADAAKI KUWAYAMA TADAAKI KUWAYAMA

TADAAKI KUWAYAMA

TADAAKI KUWAYAMA
TADAAKI KUWAYAMA

Tadaaki Kuwayama, born in Nagoya, Japan, completed his studies in nihonga, a traditional Japanese painting style, at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts in 1956. However, he found himself uninterested in the strict practice of nihonga and the contemporary Japanese art scene at that time. In 1958, along with his wife and fellow artist Rakuko Naito, Kuwayama relocated to New York where he discovered the contemporary art scene and developed his unique artistic style.

During the 1960s, Kuwayama focused on creating square and monochromatic artworks subdivided using vertical and horizontal metal strips. He created the illusion of artificial colours and industrial materials by varnishing the surface and adding a glossy layer. In 1970, he transitioned to producing large-scale works composed of rectangular sections, shifting from vibrant colours to metallic shades occasionally intermixed with pale tones like pink and beige. In the following decade, Kuwayama embarked on a phase of renewed experimentation, exploring oil paint and new three-dimensional textures. Although his works in the 1980s diverged from his earlier style, they still retained elements such as interwoven paper strips.

During the 1990s, Kuwayama’s experimentation with industrial production further reduced human traces in his artworks. Through his use of metallic and reflective materials, he directed viewers’ attention to the spatial environment aiming to present a purified form of beauty and convey a sense of pure artistic experimentation. In 2019, the National Gallery Singapore showcased Kuwayama’s works in the MINIMALISM: SPACE. LIGHT. OBJECT exhibition, alongside artists like Mark Rothko, Donald Judd, Anish Kapoor, and others.

ARTWORKS

ARTICLES

Life in New York as an Artist: Harmony of Art, People, and Space

A New Appreciation Contemporary Japanese and Asian Art
23/23

GALLERY EXHIBITIONS

Tadaaki Kuwayama & Rakuko Naito: In Silence: An Ode to Nothing

HK H Queen’s 8/F
2024.01.27 - 03.16

Beautiful Nothing
Taipei Neihu
May 25 - July 7, 2019

MAJOR EXHIBITIONS, COLLECTIONS

EXHIBITIONS

2020
Tadaaki Kuwayama and Rakuko Naito, Christie’s Private Sales, New York
2019
Beautiful Nothing: Tadaaki Kuwayama x Rakuko Naito, Whitestone Gallery, Taipei
2018
Tadaaki Kuwayama, Taka Ishii Gallery Tokyo
Rakuko Naito & Tadaaki Kuwayama, Borzo Gallery, Amsterdam
MINIMALISM: SPACE. LIGHT. OBJECT, National Gallery Singapore, Singapore
2017
Tadaaki Kuwayama: Radical Neutrality, The Mayor Gallery,
Gallery Selections: Assorted Artists, Barbara Marthes
Gallery, New York City
2015
Printer’s Proof: Thirty Years at Wingate Studio, Wingate Studio, Boston
Op Infinitum: “The Responsive Eye’ Fifty Years After (Part II) – American Op Art In The 60s, David Richard Gallery, Sante Fe
2012
Tadaaki Kuwayama, Garth Greenan Gallery, New York
2011
Surface, Support, Process: The 1960s Monochrome, The Guggenheim Collection, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City
Kuwayama Tadaaki, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
2009
The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860-1989, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City
2001
Surface, Support, Process : The 1960s Monochrome in the Guggenheim collection, New York City

 

COLLECTIONS

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo / The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo / The Hiroshima City Museum of Art; Hiroshima City / The Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis / The Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art, Chiba / The Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; The Museum of Modern Art; New York / The Nagoya City Art Museum, Nagoya City / The Nationalgalerie, Berlin / The National Museum of Art, Osaka / The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo / The Solomon R Guggenheim, New York / The Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart / The Stiftung für Konstructive und Konkrete Kunst, Zürich / The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

IMAGES

"Untitled" Acrylic and gold leaf on paper mounted on canvas, 1960
"Untitled 9/10" Enamel, aluminum, aluminum edge, 1971
2019 "Beautiful Nothing" Whitestone Gallery Taipei
2019 "Beautiful Nothing" Whitestone Gallery Taipei
2019 "Beautiful Nothing" Whitestone Gallery Taipei
2019 "Beautiful Nothing" Whitestone Gallery Hong Kong
2019 "Beautiful Nothing" Whitestone Gallery Hong Kong

VIDEOS

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