Image: Oral History Archives of Japanese Art
February 9, 2024
Congratulations to esteemed ceramic artist Miyanaga Tōzan III (Rikichi) on winning the Special Culture Prize and Distinguished Services Prize from Kyoto Prefecture (Kyōto-fu bukashō tokubetsu kōrō shō)!
Long considered a ceramic virtuoso, Miyanaga comes from a 100-year-old line of potters based in Kyoto. He first studied in the sculpture department at the Kyoto City University of Arts before coming to New York to study at the Art Students League. Upon his return in the early 1960s, he began to create large, powerful sculptures. He soon joined and became a major figure within the avant-garde Sōdeisha group. Over the intervening decades, he has explored new ways of expressing the timeless beauty of seihakuji (bluish-white) and sometsuke glazed porcelain.
In the prize announcement, the awarding committee commented: 土が持つ可能性と深く向き合い、土が持つ様々な表情を作品として見せるための素材研究を続 け、ジャンルの枠にとらわれないその作品は、国内外で高く評価されている。
Miyanaga's work will be exhibited in our upcoming gallery show for Asia Week New York focused on Japanese ceramics in blue and white.
