Yoshimi Arts and the three konohana are pleased to present the works of Shigeru Izumi (1922-1995) together again, for the first time in two years.
Two years ago, both galleries exhibited his paintings from the 1970’s until his final years in the 90’s, and last year Yoshimi Arts exhibited his works from the late-60’s to the early 70’s. As part of an ongoing project of reflecting on and reevaluating the work of Izumi, this exhibition will focus on his drawings from the 1960’s, with 20 works shown between the two venues.
Izumi had established a reputation in Japan as a printmaker during the 1950’s, when he founded the Democratic Artists Association with Ei-Q and Yoshio Hayakawa. Thereafter, he moved to New York, and then to Paris for 10 years from 1959, during which time his work would change greatly. The abstract expressionism movement was slowly transitioning to pop art in New York, and in Paris he came in contact with the art informel movement.
These experiences deeply influenced him and he began to create works that reconsider the essence of the act of drawing. The drawings presented in the exhibition were made by Izumi during his time in Paris, until just after he returned to Japan. These were studies for his “Blue Series” and “Stroke Series” which he exhibited in Paris, and they show us how he dedicated himself to deconstructing the brush stroke to reconstruct a new picture. Due to their purpose as studies for paintings, these works have never been exhibited during his lifetime. Observing the drawings created by Izumi during a crucial turning point in his life gives us the rare opportunity to understand the transitions of his unique artistic practice.