The first joint exhibition by the Centre Pompidou-Metz and the Fondation Hermès, "Simple Forms: Where Does Beauty Come From?", will travel to the Mori Art Museum from April 25th to July 5th. It explores the functional beauty found in art, architecture, and industrial products from the 19th century onward. It also explores the idea of finding beauty in simplicity, as seen in Japanese crafts and other forms of primitive and folk art that have emerged in traditional cultures around the world. This exhibition will feature approximately 130 works of tranquil, poetic, and universal beauty, spanning borders and eras. The works are collected by renowned French institutions, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Musée Picasso, and the Fondation Le Corbusier. Many will be on public display for the first time. Also featured exclusively in the Japan exhibition will be masterpieces representing Japanese art history, such as Sengai's Ensozu (Circle Ensō) and Chōjirō's Kuroraku tea bowl. These works will be primarily displayed in Section 2, "The Solitary Hermitage." This area, reminiscent of a hermitage constructed by artist Xavier Veilhan, features objects and crafts that sublimate the simple beauty of nature. New installations by contemporary Japanese and French artists, including Xavier Veilhan and Ohmaki Shinji, will also be presented exclusively at the Mori Art Museum. The exhibition is divided into nine sections, including "Metaphysical Landscapes," "Space and the Moon," "Machine Forms," and "Forms of Nature." Works from a wide range of genres, from archaeology and biology to mathematics, physics, and mechanical engineering, are on display. While their appearances may be described as simple, they range from materials like "a rock found by Le Corbusier on the beach" to Native American bird stones and Constantin Brancusi's bronzes inspired by aerodynamics. Among the exhibits is the black monolith featured in Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey." The exhibition not only celebrates the beauty of their forms, but also invites viewers to contemplate the intentions, origins, and myths embedded within their shapes.
To coincide with the exhibition, Ginza Maison Hermès Forum will be hosting an exhibition titled "Listening to Lines." The exhibition will feature works that focus on lines found in nature and the places where lines are born.
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[Event Information]
Simple Forms: Where Does Beauty Come From?
Venue: Mori Art Museum
Address: 53F, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Dates: April 25th to July 5th
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm (until 5:00pm on Tuesdays, until 10:00pm on May 5th)
Admission: Adults 1,500 yen, Students 1,000 yen, Children 500 yen
Closed: None