Scheduled Exhibition Gerd Knäpper: A Retrospective
Exhibit Period
Friday, November 29, 2013 - Sunday, January 19, 2014
Exhibit Times
9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
(last admissions at 4:30 p.m.)
Organized by
Nakagawa-machi Bato Hiroshige Museum of Art
Museum closed
December 2, 9, 16; December 24 - January 2; January 6, 14
Admission Fee
Adults: 500 (450) yen High School, College Students: 300 (270) yen * Fees in parentheses are group rates for 20 or more visitors * Free admission for visitors aged over 70 years, elementary and junior high school students, and preschoolers * Half price for visitors with a physical disability certificate, and half price for one accompanying caregiver
Overview
The potter Gerd Knäpper (1943-2012) mesmerized many fans by his works which were a fusion of Japanese culture and German culture. His ingenious works were at times more Japanese than a Japanese artist’s, irresistibly attracting many people with their gentle character.
Knäpper was born in 1943 in Wuppertal, Germany. From about age 15, he began taking ceramics classes and art classes, continuing a study tour centered in Europe. Following that, he traveled to Asia Minor, India, the Canary Islands, and the West Indies, studied ceramics at the Newark Museum of Art in America, visited New York and Alaska, and took an active part in artistic activities in the various cities he visited. In 1967, he came to Japan, and studied under Suzuki Seisei in Seto. The following year, with the help of Shimaoka Tatsuzo, he began ceramics training in Mashiko. His genius quickly blossomed, and he captured the Grand Prize and the Minister of Education Prize at the first Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition in 1967. After that, he moved to Daigo Town in Ibaraki Prefecture, bought a dilapidated thatched-roof house known as the Tarozaka Manor, and continued to create pottery while restoring the house. In 1991, he was decorated with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
After moving to Daigo Town in Ibaraki Prefecture, Knäpper worked at his pottery for 38 years, acting as a bridge connecting western Europe and Japan. As to the reason Knäpper made Japan his second home, he answered, gJapan has a fabulous ceramics tradition which attracts me even now.h Gerd Knäpper passed away on November 2, 2012. Satiate yourself in the exquisite beauty of Knäpper’s works, so adored and beloved by Japanese.
Museum Talk
Ute Yoko Knäpper
Saturday, November 30, 2013; Saturday, January 11, 2014
Talks start at 1:30 p.m.