The "Pierre Alechinski" exhibition will run from October 19th to December 8th at Bunkamura The Museum in Shibuya, Tokyo. Pierre Alechinski, a leading Belgian contemporary artist who has reached the pinnacle of artistic expression through brushwork, continues to work energetically at nearly 90 years old. He emerged on the postwar art scene through his work with the avant-garde artist group Cobra, founded in 1948. He studied under Sengai, known for his elegant Zen paintings, and developed a friendship with avant-garde calligrapher Morita Shiryu. During his 1955 visit to Japan, he filmed a short film titled "Japanese Calligraphy." Inspired by comic books, Alechinski developed a distinctive framed painting style. Furthermore, he is a first-rate writer, and since 1965 has published numerous books, primarily essays, through major publishers. His paintings are permeated with a focus on letters and words. One of the aims of Cobra was to "challenge outside his field of expertise," and Alechinski has achieved this through both painting with his left hand and writing with his right, achieving a unique realm. This first-ever retrospective in Japan, commemorating the 150th anniversary of friendship between Japan and Belgium, will feature approximately 80 works spanning from the 1940s to his most recent works. Works on display include Night, in which an indecipherable image or text covers the entire surface; The Essential Forest, in which ink-painted strips of Japanese paper, framed like a comic book, are circulated around a roughly 150cm wide painting, evoking the sense of a narrative unfolding; and Your Servant, in which discarded paper is found and reused in flea markets, second-hand shops, and second-hand bookstores in Paris and the South of France, creating a unique effect. This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore Alechinski's artistic career, which combines figurative and abstract art and employs a style influenced by Japanese calligraphy. This exhibition will travel to the National Museum of Art, Osaka, Nakanoshima, from January 28 to April 9, 2017.



[Event Information]
"Pierre Alechinsky Exhibition"
Venue: Bunkamura The Museum
Address: 2-24-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Dates: October 19th - December 8th
Hours: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM (last entry at 6:30 PM), Fridays and Saturdays 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM (last entry at 8:30 PM)
Admission: ¥1,400 Adults, ¥1,000 University and High School Students, ¥700 Middle and Elementary School Students
Closed: Closed on October 24th only