A Place I Haven't Visited in a While ② - Shoto Museum of Art -

It has been a little while, but on a Friday in mid-July, I aimed for the evening opening hours and went to the Shoto Museum of Art for the first time in a very long time.

Along with the Teien Art Museum, this is one of my absolute favorite museums in terms of architecture, but the hurdle of having to get through the hustle and bustle of Shibuya is high, so it had been so long I don't even know how many years it had been.

The last time I came to this area was for the final exhibition at Bunkamura, which I wrote about in a past article, so I was surprised to see that the Tokyu main store is gone and the scenery has changed.

I didn't come around here much before Bunkamura was built, so the sight of it gone felt quite shocking.

The shops in the surrounding area also seem to have more ramen shops, and it feels different from what I'm used to, but as I got closer to the museum, the number of shops typical of Shoto increased, which made me feel a little relieved.

Now, the exhibition is “Junichi Nakahara in His 111th Year.”
There are many Showa retro exhibitions this summer, which I'm looking forward to, and this is one of them.

I have seen Junichi Nakahara's paintings many times, but rather than the gracefulness of Yumeji, it is his sharp, modern feel and glamour that attract me.

The colors he brought into the dull life of the Showa era were truly bright and gorgeous, and the word “longing” is fitting.

Moreover, not only his paintings, but also his clothing, accessories, and furniture were designed to be actually made, and he made frequent use of patches and appliqués that evoke the era, making each item accessible to everyone.

I think the charm of Junichi Nakahara lies in the mysterious fusion of the glamour of the women and girls with their almond-shaped eyes and slender waists in his illustrations, and reality.

Yumeji and Kasho Takabatake are beautiful, but Junichi Nakahara is a completely different existence.

Being such a one-of-a-kind presence, there used to be paper dolls you could cut out from various supplements, and I feel like many of them were copies of Junichi Nakahara's work.

For me, Junichi Nakahara is set alongside those nostalgic memories.

Online information said it was more crowded than usual, but once inside, it felt like there were only a few people other than those on the museum tour who get a guided explanation of the building, so if you didn't overlap with the museum tour, you could enjoy the exhibition quietly and at your own pace.

And once inside, I remembered the structure of the museum itself, which I had completely forgotten. It felt like, “Ah, this is it.”

The center is an atrium with a courtyard, and they are connected by a walkway, but it seemed like you couldn't walk across that corridor now.

The exhibition halls are on the second floor and the basement. I ended up using the elevator, but I actually really like the spiral staircase, so I went to see it on purpose (laughs).

Near the entrance to each venue, there are two life-sized illustrations of women. They stand with the fountain in the courtyard visible through the window as a background.

Although it was evening, or rather twilight, on this day, I imagine it would leave a different impression if seen in the bright daylight.

Since there will be a change of exhibits midway through, I am thinking of coming back to see them again in the daylight.

Among the many illustrations, I certainly have my favorites, but the ones that catch my eye change depending on my mood at the time.

Given the volume of the exhibition this time, it might be because I have aged, but I found myself drawn more to illustrations of adult women rather than young girls.

But that is precisely why I sometimes find myself drawn to the illustrations of young girls.
I never tire of looking at them, no matter how many times I see them.

That is what Junichi Nakahara is to me.