Tsuruko Yamazaki

Tsuruko Yamazaki (山崎 つる子, Yamazaki Tsuruko, 1925 – June 12, 2019)[1] was a Japanese visual artist, known for an abstract, experimental style and her use of non-traditional materials. She was a founding member of the Gutai group, an avant-garde artists' collective.

Tsuruko Yamazaki
Born1925 (1925)
Died(2019-06-12)June 12, 2019; aged 94
NationalityJapanese
StyleAvant-garde
MovementGutai group

Biography

Yamazaki was born in 1925 in Ashiya, Hyōgo, Japan.[2][3] In 1946, she met the painter Jiro Yoshihara (who later founded the Gutai group) when he instructed an art workshop she attended in Ashiya.[2][1]

Yamazaki was an active member of the Gutai group from its founding in 1954 until its disbandment in 1972.[4] She participated in all of the Gutai group's exhibitions,[4] including its first, The Experimental Outdoor Exhibition of Modern Art to Challenge the Midsummer Sun (1955),[5] held in Ashiya Park; and later exhibitions at Martha Jackson Gallery, New York (1958); the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1965);[4] and the 45th and 53rd Venice Biennale (2009).[4] Her first solo exhibition was held at the Gutai Pinacotheca, the Gutai group's museum, in 1963.[4] Other solo exhibitions included shows at Ashiya City Museum of Art and History (2004); Galerie Almine Rech in Paris (2010); and at Take Ninagawa in Tokyo (2013 and 2015).[3]

Yamazaki was known for a colourful abstract style,[2] for her interest in non-traditional materials (including tin, mirrors, and vinyl)[6][7] and for her "investigations into chemical and physical transformation".[6] For the Gutai group's first show (1955), in Tokyo, Yamazaki arranged a series of 25 dyed tin cans upon the floor.[6][8] Her work Red (Shape of Mosquito Net) (1956/2014)[9] consists of a large floating cube of red vinyl stretched over a wooden frame and was first featured at the Outdoor Gutai Art Exhibition in 1956;[5] versions of this work were also featured in a number of exhibits afterwards, including at the Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art;[2] at the Guggenheim Museum in New York;[10][11] and at Art Basel in 2016.[9] In 1957, she began experimenting with two-dimensional tin pieces, stained with aniline dye.[7] Later works explored geometric patterns, pop art-inspired imagery, and the use of dye on various surfaces.[4]

Yamazaki was credited for being a "pivotal figure in the Japanese avant-garde movement."[7] She died on June 12, 2019, at the age of 94.[1]

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References
  1. Yap, Xuan Wei. "Obituary: Tsuruko Yamazaki (1925-2019)". ArtAsiaPacific. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  2. "日本美術オーラル・ヒストリー・アーカイヴ/山崎つる子オーラル・ヒストリー". Oral History Archives of Japanese Art. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  3. "Tsuruko Yamazaki". Take Ninagawa. 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  4. "Tsuruko Yamazaki (1925–2019)". Artforum. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  5. Maerkle, Andrew. "Gutai: The Spirit of an Era". Frieze. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  6. Kee, Joan (2013-02-01). "Artist's Portfolio: Tsuruko Yamazaki". Artforum. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  7. "Work - DMA Collection Online". Dallas Museum of Art. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  8. Buckley, Brad; Conomos, John (2020). A Companion to Curation. John Wiley & Sons. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-119-20685-9.
  9. "Art Basel 2016 – ART iT: Japanese-English contemporary art portal site". Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  10. "Yamazaki Tsuruko, Work (Red Cube), 1956". Guggenheim. 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  11. Smith, Roberta (2013-02-14). "The Seriousness of Fun in Postwar Japan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
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