Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A trove of primary source materials, From Postwar to Postmodern, Art in Japan 1945-1989 is an invaluable scholarly resource for readers who wish to explore the fascinating subject of avant-garde art in postwar Japan. In this comprehensive anthology, an array of key documents, artist manifestos, critical essays, and roundtable discussions are translated into English for the first time. The pieces cover a broad range of artistic mediums--including photography, film, performance, architecture, and design--and illuminate their various points of convergence in the Japanese context.

The collection is organized chronologically and thematically to highlight significant movements, works, and artistic phenomena, such as the pioneering artist collectives Gutai and Hi Red Center, the influential photography periodical Provoke , and the emergence of video art in the 1980s. Interspersed throughout the volume are more than twenty newly commissioned texts by contemporary scholars. Including Bert Winther-Tamaki on art and the Occupation and Reiko Tomii on the Yomiuri Independent Exhibition, these pieces supplement and provide a historical framework for the primary source materials. From Postwar to Postmodern, Art in Japan 1945-1989 offers an unprecedented look at over four decades of Japanese art--both as it unfolded and as it is seen from the perspective of the present day.

Publication of The Museum of Modern Art

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

In this meticulous, thorough work, Chong (Museum of Modern Art) and his Japanese colleagues--Michio Hayashi (Sofia University, Tokyo), Kenji Kajiya (Hiroshima City Univ.), and Fumihiko Sumitomo (independent curator/scholar)--have created an indispensable resource featuring numerous translations of Japanese documents. Most are available in English for the first time. These include critical theory, artist statements, manifestos, exhibition reviews, and news items, interspersed with recent summary scholarship; together these provide a wealth of information and insight into the development of Japanese art from 1945 to 1989. Divided chronologically into five periods, the book gives a richly detailed picture of many art movements, along with the thoughts, activities, and creations of many artists. This publication makes clear that during this time Japanese artists and intellectuals were deeply engaged with the contemporary situation in Japan, involved in new developments in the art of Europe and the US, and working intensely at the leading edge, creating art of global significance. The text includes 51 color plates, 57 black-and-white figures, and a chronology. It will be indispensable for collections with a Japanese focus, and a very important acquisition for libraries serving all levels of readers, especially graduate students, researchers, and faculty. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. J. B. Gregory formerly, Delaware College of Art and Design

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Doryun Chong is Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art.

Michio Hayashi is Professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Sophia University in Tokyo.

Kenji Kajiya is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts at Hiroshima City University.

Fumihiko Sumitomo is an accomplished independent curator in Tokyo.