Synopses & Reviews
Once neglected in the West, Japanese basketry now claims a loyal following among art lovers, collectors, and craftspeople in the United States and Europe.
Japanese Bamboo Baskets: Meiji, Modern, and Contemporary acknowledges this growing interest by presenting a stunning array of the best baskets to come out of Japan in the last 150 years. The authors - both Japanese experts in the field - have selected superb examples from private and museum collections throughout the world. They focus on the breathtaking works by the masters of the traditional form - Rokansai, Shokosai, and Chikuunsai - as well as those of the leading contemporary artists, whose groundbreaking sculptural pieces are attracting ever-greater attention from the international art community.
Japanese Bamboo Baskets frames the pieces in a wealth of newly written material, beginning with a Foreword by pioneer collector Lloyd Cotsen. Masanori Moroyama, in-house bamboo expert at the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, contributes a compelling history of this forgotten art, while spokeswoman for the artists Masami Oguchi provides potent insights into the artists and their works. A trio of interviews with top artists, as well as essays by other voices in the field, round out the volume.
Review
"...not only is the book inspiring, it also serves to help perpetuate the skill." -- Feng Shui
About the Author
One of the acknowledged authorities in the field, MASANORI MOROYAMA is Chief Researcher for the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, where he oversees an ongoing series of exhibitions and publications. MASAMI OGUCHI was born into the family of an antique dealer of traditional Japanese arts. She now runs a gallery specializing in classic and contemporary Japanese baskets. LLOYD COTSEN is credited with single-handedly pioneering the field in the United States and Europe. He recently donated his 1,000-piece collection of baskets to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.