Frank Lloyd Wright, "Windowpane of Coonley Playhouse Kindergarten," c. 1912, Toyota Municipal Museum of Art
Perhaps because of the warm weather this year, the signs of autumn still feel farther away than usual.
However, when the days continue to be mild and comfortable, autumn's appetites and reading seasons begin to flourish and one's mood begins to grow.
So, as you're thinking about where to go this autumn, we'd like to introduce some recommended exhibitions.
"100th Anniversary of the Second Imperial Hotel Main Building: Frank Lloyd Wright's Architecture Connecting the World"
Frank Lloyd Wright, a master of modern American architecture and one of the three greatest architects in the world.
I'm sure many of you already know this.
Wright, known for the Kaufmann House (Fallingwater) and the Guggenheim Museum, was an architect with deep ties to Japan, having also designed the second main building of the Imperial Hotel (now partially relocated and preserved at the Meiji Village Museum) and Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan, and was also an avid ukiyo-e fan.
Frank Lloyd Wright, "Cover Design for Liberty Magazine: Column Cactus and Cactus Flowers," 1927-28, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Photo: Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-84873
The title of this exhibition is "100th Anniversary of the Second Main Building of the Imperial Hotel"
The Imperial Hotel was completed exactly 100 years ago in 1923, on the day of the Great Kanto Earthquake.
The Imperial Hotel, which survived the disaster and brought great fame to Wright, was a grandiose project that was like a city in itself, with a vast site and a variety of facilities including guest rooms, theaters, and ballrooms.
The Imperial Hotel, which took 10 years to complete from the initial conception, is a condensed version of elements taken from the various climates and cultures that Wright experienced, from the American Midwest to Latin America, Europe, and Japan. Furthermore, the experiences and architectural ideas he had at that time were later incorporated into Wright's architecture and urban planning in various forms.
An organic connection with the surrounding landscape. A dynamic resonance between the micro and macro, the parts and the whole.
His vision for a high-rise building that is connected to nature, and the Imperial Hotel was clearly a building that stood at the crossroads for him.
The Imperial Hotel, hailed as the "Jewel of the Orient," was a low-rise, symmetrical building that surrounded a pond in front of the main entrance. The exterior and interior were crafted using Oya stone from Tochigi Prefecture and Sudare bricks fired in Tokoname, and the structure and decoration were designed to blend in with the greenery of Hibiya Park in front of it, making it a unique and special hotel.
Frank Lloyd Wright, "Plate 63, Unity Temple, Perspective View, 'The Architecture and Design of Frank Lloyd Wright'," 1910, Toyota Municipal Museum of Art
It was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2017 and attracted a lot of attention.
"Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive"
The exhibition was made possible with the full cooperation of Ken Tadashi Oshima and Jennifer Grey, who were part of the exhibition's planning team.
The exhibition will feature a number of architectural drawings and plans that were transferred from the Wright Foundation to Columbia University's Avery Library of Architecture and Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 2012 and will be on display in Japan for the first time.
This is a rare opportunity to see Wright's architectural drawings up close, which are detailed, delicate, and feature ingenious compositions.
Frank Lloyd Wright, "Proposal for the Gordon Strong Automobile Amusement Park and Planetarium (Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland), 1924-25, Perspective Drawing," Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Photo: Library of Congress LC-DIG-ds-10423
In 2012, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation transferred over 50,000 documents, including drawings, to the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Avery Library of Architecture and Design at Columbia University. Since then, research has continued to shed light on Frank Lloyd Wright's broad-ranging vision and intellect, covering not only architecture but also art, design, writing, landscape architecture, education, technological innovation, and urban planning.
This exhibition builds on these recent research findings and is being held with the full cooperation of the Foundation and the Avery Library of Architecture and Art.
This exhibition will shed light on the figure of Frank Lloyd Wright, who, with the Imperial Hotel as his base, interacted with diverse cultures and always engaged in pioneering activities.
Frank Lloyd Wright, Plan for Greater Baghdad (Baghdad, Iraq), 1957, Bird's-Eye Perspective, View of the Cultural Center and University from the North, 1957, ©The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York)
This is a valuable opportunity to learn more about the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the world's three greatest architects, from multiple perspectives.
As an aside, there are two Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Japan that can be visited.
(In fact, Japan is the only place outside of his native America where Frank Lloyd Wright's works still exist.)
Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan and Yamamura Residence (Yodoko Guest House).
Personally, I recommend visiting the Yamamura residence.
Harmony with nature, the beauty of the furnishings, and the Japanese essence are all part of the charm.
It is also recommended for the upcoming autumn foliage season.
Saturday, October 21, 2023 - Sunday, December 24, 2023
Toyota Municipal Museum of Art
8-5-1 Kosakahonmachi, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture
The exhibition will run from January 11th (Thursday) to March 10th (Sunday), 2024 at the Panasonic Shiodome Museum of Art in Tokyo.
The exhibition is scheduled to tour the Aomori Museum of Art from Wednesday, March 20th to Sunday, May 12th, 2024.
