Courtesy of the artist
Born 1945, Kanazawa, Japan
NAKAMURA TAKUO lives in Kanazawa, a culturally rich city located on the Sea of Japan. In his work, he attempts to link the traditions of three-hundred-year-old kutani ware with a modern approach. His multi-layered structures reveal his deep understanding of both traditional and contemporary techniques, form, and design. The rinpa aesthetics of Edo Period painting and decorative arts have had a profound impact on Nakamura’s own highly personalized artistic vocabulary, most clearly in terms of color, pattern, theme, and sense of space.
Artist with his installation at Kanazawa Sanraku, 2023. Photo by Joan Mirviss.
“Although the second son of a Kanazawa potter, born in 1945, I initially chose to work in the business sector. However, I soon felt compelled to return to the ceramic training of my childhood, and in 1978, I apprenticed with my father, Baizan II (1907-1997). At first, I competed in juried shows, but for the past two decades I have held my own thematic solo exhibitions. It is my hope that my work successfully initiates a dialogue between the artist and the eventual owner that continues with every use. I believe that the true completion of my work can only be accomplished through the creative implementation on the part of the user.”
NAKAMURA TAKUO
An unquestionably adventurous ceramist, Nakamura Takuo boldly links the traditions of three-hundred-year old kutani ware with a modern sense of form. Creating multi-piece deconstructions of established forms, Nakamura continues to explore the balance between interior and exterior spaces.
Minneapolis Institute of Art collection
Selected Public Collections:
Art Institute of Chicago, IL
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
Cincinnati Art Museum, OH
Garaku Retreat, Toyama, Japan
Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, MI
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo, Azure, Japan
Tokyo Kaikan, Installation on Wall, Japan
Box that is no longer a box with ivy design
2019
Stoneware with polychrome under and over glazes
18 7/8 x 23 5/8 x 18 1/8 in.
Inv#11200
SOLD
Two-part pleated sculpture with rinpa-inspired iris pattern
2019
Kutani-glazed stoneware with gold overglaze
9 1/2 x 12 5/8 x 9 1/2 in.; 9 1/2 x 12 1/4 x 8 1/4 in.
SOLD
Two-part pleated sculpture iwith rinpa-inspired maple leaf pattern, titled Vessel that is not a Vessel
2019
Kutani-glazed stoneware with gold
6 1/4 x 11 x 7 1/2 in.; 6 1/4 x 9 1/2 x 8 1/4 in.
Inv# 11202
SOLD
Purple-glazed teabowl with kutani-glazed rinpa-inspired decoration of ivy
2017
Stoneware with polychrome under and overglazes with gold
4 x 5 1/8 x 5 1/8 in.
SOLD
Vessel with summer and fall floral design and separate ladle-rest
2016
Stoneware with polychrome under and over glazes
7 1/8 x 10 x 8 in.; 2 1/8 x 12 x 2 in.
Inv# 10124
SOLD
Two undulating panels forming a vessel-like structure with patterning inspired by the Ise Monogatari
2016
Glazed stoneware
10 5/8 x 16 7/8 x 9 1/4 in.; 10 3/4 x 18 1/8 x 9 1/4 in.
Inv# 10051
SOLD
Vessel that is not a Vessel; Two undulating panels creating a vessel-like structure with separate element
2015
Glazed stoneware
9 7/8 x 13 3/8 x 9 1/2 in.; 9 7/8 x 13 3/8 x 9 1/2 in.; 2 x 26 x 4 in.
Inv# 9503
SOLD
Pair of undulating screen-like forms with abstract decoration of a rushing stream
2014
Stoneware with polychrome under and over glazes with gold and silver
8 3/4 x 16 1/8 x 6 3/4 in.; 10 3/4 x 16 1/2 x 7 3/4 in.
SOLD
Three-tiered box with rinpa-style iris and wave patterning
2014
Glazed stoneware with gold and silver
5 1/2 x 6 3/4 x 5 in.
Inv# 9010
SOLD
Pair of undulating screen-like forms with abstract kutani-glazed rinpa-inspired decoration of cloud formations
2012
Stoneware with polychrome under and over glazes and silver and gold glazes
6 5/8 x 13 3/4 x 6 1/4 in.; 6 1/4 x 11 3/8 x 5 7/8 in.
SOLD
