WHAT

EXHIBITION / ART

Self-History

25 Sep, 2021—13 Feb, 2022

  • photo by Keizo KIOKU

  • photo by Keizo KIOKU

  • photo by Keizo KIOKU

  • photo by Keizo KIOKU

  • photo by Keizo KIOKU

  • photo by Keizo KIOKU

WHAT MUSEUM was opened in December 2020 aiming to make artists’ and collectors’ precious art properties that have been entrusted to us accessible to the public. It exhibits works by artists active in the contemporary art scene side-by-side with the thoughts of the collectors as well as the artists, offering a new kind of space for the appreciation of art. At this Obayashi Collection Exhibition, we will be highlighting a collection of masterpieces accumulated over many years by Mr. Takeo Obayashi, Chairman of the Organizing Committee international art festival, “Aichi Triennale 2022” (Aichi Prefecture), and exhibiting the collection along three different themes. By displaying “Tadao Ando : The Act of Drawing,” “Between the City and Me,” and “Self-History,” not only will we aim to demonstrate the changing nature of this collection, we will also attempt a more multi-faceted approach to this assemblage of artistic works.

In “Self-History” of the Obayashi Collection Exhibition, focusing on the contemporary artworks that Mr. Obayashi has collected, artworks by around 40 artists will be displayed, which can be said that it is a compilation of his collection.

 

– Collector’s Note by Takeo Obayashi *excerpted from a production at exhibition
One of the interesting things about private collections is that their content changes as time passes. This is deeply related to encounters with many people, including artists, and the experience of learning about art through different opportunities. In other words, I see my collection as something dynamic that is constantly changing, rather than something collected according to a single aesthetic or rule. Around 40 works in this exhibition represent the current state of the collection, which numbers around 850 works, while at the same time encompassing its history. This part of the exhibition starts with my father’s collection, which can be called the “prehistory” of the collection, and continues with works of the end of the 1990s and later, when I started collecting regularly, as well as relatively recent additions to the collection. From the art historical viewpoint, the exhibition focuses on artists from the 90s and onwards, but also includes artists from the 60s and 70s who influenced the former. The diversity of the collection is the result of personal encounters and experiences. This exhibition shows the diversity of contemporary art forms and expression, at the same time, it documents the transition of a collector. I hope you will enjoy the exhibition from both perspectives.

Exhibited artists

Jean Arp, Carl Andre, Lawrence Weiner, Tracey Emin, Ryan Gander, Yves Klein, Tadaaki Kuwayama, Giorgio Griffa, Tomoo Gokita, Ataru Sato, Donald Judd, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Andreas Slominski, John Chamberlain, Thomas Demand, Anne Truitt, Stephan Balkenhol, Simon Patterson, Daniel Buren, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Lucio Fontana, Dan Flavin, Candida Höfer, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Alighiero Boetti, Michaël Borremans, Taiji Matsue, Piero Manzoni, Takashi Murakami, Yasumasa Morimura, Jonathan Monk, Hiromichi Yamagata, Pierre Huyghe, Jiro Yoshihara, Lee Ufan, Thomas Ruff, Ugo Rondinone, Bob Law

About Artist

DATES
September 25th, 2021 (Sat) — February 13th, 2022 (Sun)
VENUE
WHAT MUSEUM Space 2, 1F
(2-6-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0002)
OPENING HOUR
Tuesday — Sunday
11:00 — 18:00(Admission until 17:00)
Closed on Monday
(open when Monday is a holiday, but closed the following Tuesday)
ADMISSION
Adults
¥1,200
University/Vocational
¥700
School Students
¥500
18 and under
¥500
15 and under
FREE
  • Ticket: Online ticket system
  •  

  • Free admission for visitors with
    a physical disability certificate
    and one of their carers
  •  

  • Presentation of your school
    identification card indicating
    your age or a physical disability
    certificate will be required on
    admission.
  •  

  • Admission of the tour of
    Architectural Model Warehouse
    is included.
    (Warehouse Visit ¥500ADD-ON)
  •  

  • Invitation letter or ticket
    from the museum,
    pre-school child,
    and disabled people with
    a disability certificate and
    an assistant (up to one person)
    can enter for free, however,
    please make a reservation
    within the time frame.
  •  

  • If you have an Invitation letter
    or ticket from the museum,
    please present it when entering.
  •  

  • Students must present their
    student ID card or other
    proof of age when entering.
    If you have a Disabled
    Person’s Booklet or an equivalent
    form of government-issued ID,
    please present it when entering.
  •  

ORGANIZER
WHAT MUSEUM
Curated by
Takeo Obayashi
SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Takeo Obayashi