The exhibition "Léonard Foujita and His Models" will be held at the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art in Sakura, Chiba, from September 17 to January 15, 2017. Léonard Foujita, also known as Tsuguharu Foujita (hereafter "Fujita"), is the most accomplished Japanese artist in the history of modern European art. After graduating from the Western Painting Department of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, the predecessor to the current Tokyo University of the Arts, he moved to Paris, France, in 1913, at the age of 27, before World War I. He established a studio in a corner of Montparnasse and developed close ties with painters from the Paris Ecole de Paris, including Soutine and Modigliani. In the 1920s, Foujita established his own style, characterized by a "milky white ground" and uniform, ultra-thin lines. He quickly became a darling of the times during Paris's "Roaring Age," when artists from around the world, including Picasso, Chagall, and Dali, flocked to the city. While Foujita demonstrated his talent in a wide variety of subjects and genres, portraits of the human figure remain at the core of his artistic career. Like other artists, he employed professional models to study their poses and commissioned portraits for socialites and the wealthy bourgeoisie. He also occasionally included family and close friends in his paintings. This exhibition features approximately 90 works spanning Foujita's early to late career, along with approximately 150 documents related to his models. Foujita's "model" theme examines his subjects, artists such as Modigliani and Jean Cocteau, professional models, close friends, and his five wives from various perspectives, reexamining his thoughts and the way he viewed his models. Also on display, with special cooperation from the Essonne department in France, is a mural in which Foujita attempted to depict a group of people, a culmination of his model research. The mural series, which focuses on the themes of "composition" and "struggle," features four large-scale paintings of people and animals on 3x3 meter canvases. Foujita's attempt at group portraiture is said to be important in considering his later wartime documentary paintings. The exhibition will feature photographs of Foujita himself, posing with his trademark bob haircut and round glasses, as well as letters he wrote to his first wife, Tokita Tomin, clay and stone figurines he collected during his travels in Central and South America, and a hand-painted wooden box he gave to his last wife, Kimiyo. Lectures, gallery talks, and workshops are also planned for the exhibition. The Fuchu Art Museum will also host the "Fujita Tsuguharu: Paintings Connecting East and West: Celebrating the 130th Anniversary of His Birth" exhibition, which will travel from the Nagoya City Art Museum and the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, from October 1 to December 11. The exhibition traces the evolution of his style from his early years to his later years, showcasing self-portraits from his student days, milky-white nudes, war paintings, and religious paintings from his final years.

Last year, the film "FOUJITA," directed by Kohei Oguri and starring Joe Odagiri, was released, and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo held the "Exhibition of Tsuguharu Foujita's Complete Collection," while the University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, held the "Public Exhibition of 'Tsuguharu Foujita Materials.'" To learn more about Tsuguharu Foujita/Léonard Foujita, who has been attracting increasing attention in recent years, why not check out the two Foujita exhibitions being held this fall at the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art and the Fuchu Art Museum?
【Event Information】
"Léonard Foujita and His Models"
Venue: Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art
Address: 631 Sakado, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture
Dates: September 17th - January 15th, 2017
Time: 9:30am - 5:00pm (last entry at 4:30pm)
Admission: ¥1,300 Adults, ¥1,100 Students and those 65 and over, ¥600 Elementary, Junior High, and High School Students
Closed: Mondays (open September 19th, October 10th, and January 9th), September 20th, October 11th, December 25th - January 2nd, January 10th
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"130th Anniversary of Birth: Tsuguharu Foujita Exhibition: Paintings Linking East and West"
Venue: Fuchu Art Museum
Address: 1-3 Asama, Fuchu City, Tokyo Period: October 1st to December 11th Hours: 10:00-17:00 (last entry at 16:30) Admission: 1,000 yen for adults, 500 yen for high school and university students, 200 yen for elementary and junior high school students Closed: Mondays (open on October 10th)