ARTmonday: Modern Sculpture Garden in Japan

With our delayed flight on Sunday (hung out in the San Francisco airport for 8 hours after flying in from Osaka), and adjusting back to Boston life, this post about the sculpture garden called the Hakone Open-Air Museum is a few days delayed. But no less fantastic. I loved exploring Tokyo and Kyoto, but in terms of actual sights, this was by far my favorite.

The Hakone Open-Air Museum opened in 1969 as the first open-air art museum in Japan. I wasn’t sure what “open-air” meant, but quickly discovered it is a vast sculpture garden. There are also four indoor exhibition halls though I didn’t have time to see any of those.

The museum’s collections include about 100 sculptures by both Asian and Western artists including Rodin, Miro, and Moore. In fact, I believe I read that the Hakone Open-Air Museum has the largest collection of Henry Moore sculptures in the world. 

The museum is also known for its hot springs-fed foot bath. (Hakone is a resort town famous for its hot springs.) It was my first introduction to the Japanese foot bath, and sublime. 

Here are some of my favorite pieces from my afternoon at the Hakone Open-Air Museum last week.

Silver Cone Sculpture At Open Air Museum Hakone Japan

unidentified

Modern Sculpture By Agustin Cardenas In Hakone

Agustin Cardenas, Femme au Repos, 1976

Jean Dubuffet Sculpture In Japan

Jean Dubuffet, Arborescence, 1971-80

Miss Black Power Sculptuer At Open Air Museum

Niki de Saint Phalle, Miss Black Power, 1968

Two Hares Sculpture in Hakone Japan

Barry Flanagan, Two Boxing Rabbits, 1965

Abstract Sculpture Of Two Figures By Henry Moore

foreground: Henry Moore
 background: Gabriel Loire, Symphonic Sculpture

Henry Moore Sculpture In Japanese Sculpture Garden Hakone

Henry Moore, Reclining Figure Arch Leg

Ryoli Gojo Intersecting Space Construction

Ryoli Gojo, Intersecting Space Construction, 1978

Ryoli Gojo Intersecting Space Construction Detail

Ryoli Gojo, Intersecting Space Construction, 1978, detail

Giuliano Vangi 2004 White Sculpture In Japan

Giuliano Vangi, Grande Racconto, 2004

Gold Ball Sculpture In Hakone Japan Sculpture Garden

Arnaldo Pomodoro, Sphere Within Sphere (Sfera con sfera)

Fried Egg Benches At Hakone Open Air Museum in Japan

Carl Milles, The Hand of God
fried egg benches

Barbara Hepworth Sculpture In Hakone Japan

Barbara Hepworth, Two Figures, 1968

Henry Moore Sculpture In Hakone Japan Sculpture Garden

Henry Moore, Reclining Figure: Angles, 1979

Jean Arp Gold Blob Figure Sculpture In Japan

Jean Arp, The Giant Pip

Matchinsky-Denninghoff Modern Sculpture At Hakone Open Air Museum

Matchinsky-Denninghoff, Sturm, 1980

Modern Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

unidentified

Hand Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

 Rainer Kreister, Big Hand

Bronze Arm Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

Kenneth Armitage, Both Arms, 1969-70

Modern Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

unidentified

Alexander Calder Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

Alexander Calder, Les Aretes de Poisson, 1966

Jim Dine Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

Jim Dine, The Lookout Tower, 1990

Japanese Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

Hiroatsu Takata, La Mer, 1962

Henry Moore Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

Henry Moore, Family Group, 1948-49

Henry Moore Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

Henry Moore, Mother and Child: Block Seat, 1983-84

Modern Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

César, La Victoire de Villetaneuse, 1965

Pregnant Woman Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

César, La Victoire de Villetaneuse, 1965, detail

Nude Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

César, La Victoire de Villetaneuse, 1965, detail

Mid-Century Modern Sculpture At Hakone Open-Air Museum In Japan

Ossip Zadkine, La Demeure, 1960

Foot Bath At Hakone Sculpture Garden Museum In Japan

foot bath

ARTmonday: Sale at the School of Museum of Fine Arts

True, it’s not Monday, but by then it will be over. The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Art Sale, featuring works from students, alumni, and faculty to benefit the scholarship program is in progress through Sunday, December 11, 2011. It takes place at the school, which is right next to the museum. I went Tuesday night (purchased six pieces). Here are some of the works for sale:


Judy Kramer (Alum)
Left: The Lace Dress, 2006 (hand colored silk screen)
Right: Miss Meow, 2011 (hand colored silk screen)
Courtesy of Soprafina Gallery, Boston
–   –  –


unidentified
–   –  –

unidentified
–   –  –

Left: Laurel Sparks (alum)
Lantern, 2010 (mixed media collage archival print on paper)
Courtesy of Howard Yezerski Gallery

Right: unidentified
–   –   –

Left: David Lloyd Brown (Staff)
REF 2010_09, 2009 (oil on canvas)
Courtesy of NK Gallery

Right: unidentified
–   –  –

Ellen Rich (alum)
Trio, 2011 (pastel, acrylic on paper)
–   –   –

unidentified
–   –  –

Judith Scott Larsen (alum)
Tulas, 2011
(archival pigment print on Hotpress bright paper)
Courtesy of Eli Klein Fine Art, New York
–   –  –


Lee Essex Doyle
Courtesy of Child’s Gallery, Boston
–   –   –

Left: unidentified

Right: Hiroko Lee (alum)
Kimono #10, 2005 (woodcut)
–   –   –

unidentified
–   –  –


Left: unidentified

Right: Julian Lethbridge (Affiliated artist)
Frieze, 2010 (Intaglio)
Courtesy of ULAE
–   –   –

Magda Campos-Pons (Faculty)
A Prayer for Obama, 2008-11 (Polaroid diptych)
Courtesy of Bernice Steinbaum, Miami and Gasp Gallery, Boston
–   –   –


Mike and Doug Starn
and you wanna repent, 2005-10
(unique color carbon print (watercolor pigments and gelatin) on Zerkall paper with 16K gold and palladium leaf water)
–   –   –

unidentified
–   –  –

unidentified
–   –  –

Left: Nancy Simmonds

Right: Allison Matherly (student)
Blonde, 2011
–   –   –

unidentified
–   –   –

Branther Deatley (alum)
Silent Spring, 2011
(acrylic/collage/resin on panel)
–   –   –

Mary Ellen Strom (video)
–   –   –


unidentified (video)
–   –   –

Jim Dine (Affiliated artist)
Snips, Pliers, and Hammers, 2011 (woodcut + etching)
Courtesy of Pace Prints
–   –   –

Cyrille Conan (Staff)
Fish Heads. . . , 2010 (mixed media)
–   –   –

Sue Yang (Faculty)
Tea/Coffee Series: Demarcating Line, 2011 (recycled tea leaves and coffee grounds)
Courtesy of Chi Lin Gallery
–   –   –

Left: unidentified

Right: Richard Serra (affiliated artist)
Top: Junction #10, 2010
Bottom: Junction #12, 2010
(1-color etchings)
Courtesy of Gemini G.E.L.
–   –   –

Caitlin Fitzgerald (alum)
Check Pigeon, 2011 (goauche)
–   –  –

Left: Jessica Hutfless (alum)
Untitled, 2011 (photographic print on archival paper)

Right: unidentified
–   –  –