UPCOMING EXHIBITION
Notes on Blue
July 15 – August 15, 2025
In Japanese art history, the color blue (ao) has an enduring legacy in both cultural significance and visual expression. As an island nation, nearly every region of Japan is bordered by the sea, making blue a deep source of inspiration in the physical landscape and the collective imagination. In the world of ceramics, the color blue offers a vast oasis of potential in visual expression, achieved through innovative and technically demanding glazes: most notably celadon and sometsuke (blue-and-white ware). Beyond these glazes, blue also emerges through other techniques such as neriage (marbelized clay), or in sculptural forms where color becomes structural rather than surface.
This upcoming summer exhibition explores the diverse ways in which contemporary and modern ceramic artists engage with the color blue in visually compelling and innovative ways, celebrating its beauty, material complexity, and legacy in Japanese contemporary art and art history.
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RECENT EXHIBITION
Breathing Vessels: Contemporary Ceramics by Yanagihara Mutsuo
May 15 – June 6, 2025
Open House Weekend: Saturday & Sunday, May 17-18, 11am-5pm
We are honored to present a solo exhibition of works by the acclaimed artist Yanagihara Mutsuo, celebrating a career spanning over six decades of contemporary ceramics. To mark this special occasion, we invite you to join us for a celebratory open house weekend May 17-18. Come experience the remarkable work of Yanagihara Mutsuo and explore the legacy of a true master of ceramic art.
From his Silver Oribe works (Gin Oribe) and his Flower-eating vessels (Kashoku) to his most recent abstraction series titled Exhalation and Inhalation (Kōki kyūki), this exhibition brings together Yanagihara’s ceramic works that explore the visual languages of botany, anthropomorphism, and abstraction with striking clarity.
Yanagihara Mutsuo (b. 1934, Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture) is a pioneering Japanese ceramic artist celebrated for his inventive forms and playful approach to clay. Raised in a family of medical doctors in Kōchi City, his early fascination with botany and the human body later influenced his sculptural ceramics. He studied at Kyoto City University of Arts under modern masters Tomimoto Kenkichi, Kondō Yūzō, and Fujimoto Yoshimichi, graduating in 1960.
Yanagihara’s career has been shaped by his exposure to international influences, particularly during his time in the United States. Teaching at Alfred University and Scripps College in the 1970s introduced him to the American studio craft movement, reinforcing his experimental and conceptual approach to ceramics. Rejecting traditional affiliations, he remained independent, allowing him to develop a unique artistic voice that blends Japanese craftsmanship with modernist and abstract principles. Now at 90, Yanagihara continues to innovate with recent series such as Exhalation and Inhalation (Koki kyūki). Throughout his career, he has embraced the tension between sculpture and function, creating works that are at once playful, imaginative, and rooted in ceramic form and tradition. Dai Ichi Arts is honored to present a solo exhibition of works by Yanagihara, celebrating his career spanning over six decades of ceramic innovation.
We extend our gratitude to Dr. Andreas Marks, curator of Japanese and Korean art and director of the Clark Center at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, for his retrospective article on Yanagihara Mutsuo’s career, which is featured in the accompanying exhibition catalog here.
To learn more, click here.
RECENT EXHIBITION
Spring Collection: The Art of Flower Vessels
April 3 – 10, 2025
Online & By Appointment Only
This spring, we are delighted to present a selection of exquisite flower vases by contemporary Japanese ceramic artists, celebrating the cherished tradition of Hanami—the art of flower viewing in Japan. Close by in New York city’s Central Park, our gallery shares in the joy of the season’s fleeting beauty, as the timeless Yoshino cherry blossoms (sakura), magnolias, and tulips come into bloom.
We warmly invite you to experience the art of flower gazing with these beautifully crafted vessels—each a tribute to the changing seasons and the arrival of spring in this virtual exhibition.
Though the gallery is closed for the month of April (otherwise open by appointment only), our team remains available to answer your queries virtually.
To learn more, click here.
RECENT ASIA WEEK NEW YORK EXHIBITION
Mingei Modern
Japanese Ceramics, Aesthetics, and Practice
March 13 – 28, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 13 from 6-8pm
Asia Week Hours: 11am-5pm, daily (otherwise by appointment)
On the occasion of Asia Week New York, we are delighted to present Mingei Modern, a curated selection of significant ceramic, textile, and painted works by the pioneers of the Mingei Movement in 20th century Japan. Exhibited artists include Kawai Kanjiro, Hamada Shoji, Bernard Leach, Shimaoka Tatsuzo, Murata Gen, Munakata Shiko, Serizawa Keisuke, and others.
Over a century ago, the Japanese term Mingei was a direct translation of “crafts for ordinary people” (minshuteki kogei). Mingei was adopted by philosopher and potter Yanagi Sōetsu to define a now-revered folk-craft movement in Japan that celebrated the beauty of anonymous, utilitarian craftsmanship. The movement values simplicity, humility, and natural grace, challenging the Western focus on individual authorship and historical narrative.
Despite the Mingei Movement’s emphasis on anonymity, its movement has paradoxically elevated figures such as Yanagi Sōetsu, Bernard Leach, Kawai Kanjirō, and Hamada Shōji as its key proponents. This exhibition examines the tension between Mingei’s ideals and its legacy, inviting viewers to closely examine how the ceramic objects of the Mingei Movement embody its philosophy and why their forms remain profoundly beautiful today.
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Latest Acquisitions
View our latest acquisitions of modern and contemporary Japanese ceramics online. Since our beginning in 1989, we have been focused on highlighting museum-quality Japanese ceramics to the contemporary art scene in New York City. The gallery has introduced pieces to the permanent collections of several major museums including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Indianapolis Art Museum, The Princeton University Art Museum, and many more.
Our mission is to bring the timeless grace of modern classics, 20th and 21st century Japanese ceramics, to the world by providing leading expertise to collectors, working with established & emerging artists, and showcasing inspiring exhibitions. We strive towards compassionate and bespoke services to our clientele which includes connoisseurs, collectors, curators, interior designers, and more. We work to connect an international audience to the heart of museum-quality Japanese ceramics & ceramic art.
View them all here.
About the Gallery
Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. is a fine art gallery specializing in modern Japanese ceramics. Since 1989, we’ve focused on featuring significant ceramic works in New York’s contemporary art scene, contributing pieces to major museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Princeton University Art Museum, and more. We are committed to providing authoritative expertise to collectors, liaising with artists, and showcasing inspiring exhibitions and artworks. We welcome you to contact us for more information.
