Hatakeyama Koji, Eight Faces, 2025, Japan, cast bronze, patinated, interior with gold foil, 9¼ x 5 x 5 inches (17 x 14.7 x 14.7 cm)

Radiant Bronze: The Timeless Art of Hatakeyama Koji
November 6 – 26, 2025
8 East 67th Street, NYC

Thomsen Gallery is proud to present Radiant Bronze: The Timeless Art of Hatakeyama Koji, an exhibition showcasing Japan’s foremost master of metal art. On view from November 6–26, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience the meditative beauty and spiritual depth of Hatakeyama’s cast bronze vessels, celebrated for their quiet power and luminous presence.

Born in 1956 in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture—an area with a storied bronze-casting heritage—Hatakeyama has spent over four decades refining his art. Drawing inspiration from ancient Mesopotamian techniques yet guided by a distinctly contemporary sensibility, he describes bronze as “a material with memories of a thousand years.” His signature lidded boxes, minimalist in form yet rich in spirit, are revered not only for their beauty but for their sense of vitality: “Every article I make should live,” he says.

Each vessel begins with molten bronze poured into a wooden mold, imprinting the grain of the wood onto the metal. Through his own adaptations of traditional patination methods—using materials like miso paste and vinegar—Hatakeyama conjures earthy textures and tones that evoke landscapes shaped by time. The interiors, lined with gold or silver leaf, reveal a radiant inner world, symbolizing light within stillness.

“Hatakeyama’s work invites contemplation,” notes gallery director Erik Thomsen. “There’s a quiet dialogue between tradition and modernity, outer texture and inner light.” Featuring twenty masterworks, the exhibition offers a moment of calm reflection and connection with one of Japan’s most revered contemporary metal artists.

To learn more, click here.

Installation view, Frieze Masters, London

Congratulations to Thomsen Gallery for recently being recognized as one of the ten best booths across both Frieze Masters and Frieze London last month! Their presentation of Japanese art from the Taisho and early Showa eras (1910–1940) featured standout works such as White Peacocks and Fatsia by Itō Kinsen, a striking pair of screens that capture the dynamic tension between tradition and innovation characteristic of the period, with a flair for the extravagant and theatrical. Other highlights included an exceptional collection of bamboo basketry, a curated selection of avant-garde metalwork, porcelain sculpture, and calligraphy from the 1970s to 1990s, as well as highly sought-after gold lacquer boxes and tea caddies.

To read the article, click here.