Nakamura Takuo

Courtesy of the artist

Nakamura Takuo - Artists - Joan B Mirviss LTD | Japanese Fine Art | Japanese Ceramics

Born 1945, Kanazawa, Japan

NAKAMURA TAKUO lives in Kanazawa, a culturally rich city located on the Sea of Japan. In his work, he attempts to link the traditions of three-hundred-year-old kutani ware with a modern approach. His multi-layered structures reveal his deep understanding of both traditional and contemporary techniques, form, and design. The rinpa aesthetics of Edo Period painting and decorative arts have had a profound impact on Nakamura’s own highly personalized artistic vocabulary, most clearly in terms of color, pattern, theme, and sense of space.

Artist with his installation at Kanazawa Sanraku, 2023. Photo by Joan Mirviss.

“Although the second son of a Kanazawa potter, born in 1945, I initially chose to work in the business sector. However, I soon felt compelled to return to the ceramic training of my childhood, and in 1978, I apprenticed with my father, Baizan II (1907-1997). At first, I competed in juried shows, but for the past two decades I have held my own thematic solo exhibitions. It is my hope that my work successfully initiates a dialogue between the artist and the eventual owner that continues with every use. I believe that the true completion of my work can only be accomplished through the creative implementation on the part of the user.”

NAKAMURA TAKUO

An unquestionably adventurous ceramist, Nakamura Takuo boldly links the traditions of three-hundred-year old kutani ware with a modern sense of form. Creating multi-piece deconstructions of established forms, Nakamura continues to explore the balance between interior and exterior spaces.

Minneapolis Institute of Art collection

Selected Public Collections:

Art Institute of Chicago, IL
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
Cincinnati Art Museum, OH
Dayton Art Institute, OH
Garaku Retreat, Toyama, Japan
Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada
Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, MI
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo, Azure, Japan
San Antonio Museum of Art, TX
Tokyo Kaikan, Installation on Wall, Japan