Ei Kawanishi: Three Hundred Views,” a special exhibition at Museum of Contemporary Art Kobe, Higashinada-ku, Kobe

The Museum of Contemporary Art Kobe (Higashinada-ku, Kobe) is holding a special exhibition, “Ei Kawanishi: Three Hundred Views. The first half of the exhibition will run until November 20, and the second half from November 22 to December 25.
Special Exhibition “Ei Kawanishi: Three Hundred Sceneries” Poster
Creative printmaker Ei Kawanishi produced three series of landscapes titled “Hyakkei” during his lifetime, the first being the woodblock print “Kobe Hyakkei” (1933-1936), known as his masterpiece depicting the vibrant prewar Kobe cityscape and people’s lives.
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The second work is the postwar “Kobe Hyakkei” (New Kobe Hyakkei), which was commissioned by the Shinko Shimbun newspaper in 1952. Although the newspaper did not publish the first commissioned work, a portion of it was redrawn in 1961 and published in the following year as a book entitled “Kobe Hyakkei” (One Hundred Views of Kobe).
Oji Zoo” (1952-61), watercolor and poster color on paper, 28.1 x 25.0 cm (Lent by Museum of Art Kobe)
The museum received this original painting in 2017, which had been missing for more than 50 years. The museum staff in charge of the donation said, “Please take a look at the beauty of the painting, which cannot be seen in a reproduction.
Poster for the special exhibition “Ei Kawanishi: Three Hundred Sceneries
The third 100 views is “Hyogo Hyakkei” (1962-1963), which was painted in poster color for a series of articles in the Kobe Shimbun newspaper. This series was drawn based on actual interviews with famous places in Hyogo Prefecture. The newspaper’s collection is said to have been lost in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, but another “Hyakkei Hyogo Hyakkei” (1963), which an enthusiast commissioned Ei Kawanishi to draw, remains and will be exhibited this time.
Hyakkei Hyogo” 《Yobe Railroad Bridge》 1963, poster color on colored paper
27.2 x 24.2cm, owned by Kobe City Museum (2nd period)
During the exhibition period, curators will give gallery tours on some Saturdays (numbered tickets distributed on a first-come, first-served basis), and a workshop for children, “Let’s Print Kawanishi’s Prints,” will be held on November 19 and December 3 (advance registration required). For details, please visit the website. ＜
The scenery of good old Kobe still retains some vestiges of its past. Many of the works are being exhibited for the first time in a long time at this special exhibition, and visitors will be able to experience the three views with the help of new materials and research results. There are also workshops for elementary and junior high school students, so children can easily become familiar with them.

Detailed Information

Period

October 15 (Sat.) – December 25 (Sun.), 2022
*First Period: October 15 (Sat.) – November 20 (Sun.)
*Second Period: November 22 (Tue.) – December 25 (Sun.)
*For details of related events, click here

Location

Museum of Contemporary Art Kobe
(2-9-1 Naka, Koyo-cho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe)
Find it on GoogleMap

Hours

10:00-17:00 (Admission until 16:30)

Closed

Mondays

Admission

Adults 1,000 yen, University students 500 yen, High school students and younger free
*University, high school, and junior high school students must present student ID or student ID card
*Kobe City residents 65 years old and older 500 yen (show proof of address and age)

• Museum of Contemporary Art Kobe official website https://www.city.kobe.lg.jp/kanko/bunka/bunkashisetsu/yukarimuseum/index.html