The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture

Fall 2006

The Tanabe Family: Four Generations of Bamboo Artists

September 5 – December 2, 2006
(Gallery will be closed on Nov. 23rd and 24th.)

Tanabe Chikuunsai II (1910-2000), Tapered senshû-ami weave flower basket. Bamboo with lacquer. Lee Center Permanent Collection. Click here for larger image.

Bamboo, as both natural material and conceptual metaphor, holds an ancient, noble lineage in the Far East. Fast-growing and plentiful but marvelously rare in its combination of flexibility and hardiness, bamboo has from prehistoric times served various roles in human workmanship and ideals of life. In poetry, it has served as a symbol of the feminine; in Confucian philosophy, as a metaphor for the perfected gentleman; in myth, as the very source of life. Its strength and pliancy also make it an exceptional material for craftsmanship, and the implied cultural meanings of bamboo are never far beyond the striated earth tones of its smooth surfaces.

In this exhibit, the Lee Center presents over forty creations by one line of Japanese artists who have made bamboo their chosen medium, engaging with its unique limitations and possibilities for over a century. Established as one of the leading makers of bamboo baskets for the tea ceremony by Chikuunsai I (1877-1937), the Tanabe Family can now boast of four distinct generations of bamboo artists, each working within the family tradition, but with its own distinct character and style. From the refined and elegant basketry of the first Chikuunsai to the freer, modernist weaves of his son and successor, Chikuunsai II (1910-2000), and onto the living generations, who at times eschew basketry altogether to create abstract sculptures of bamboo, we can see a lineage advancing with the spirit of the times, yet all the while working within the family traditions of material, technique and approach

Tanabe Chikuunsai III (1940-), Circles and Squares (Hōen). Bamboo with lacquer. Courtesy of the Tanabe Family. Click here for larger image.

"The Tanabe Family: Four Generations of Bamboo Artists" thus offers viewers a unique opportunity to consider tradition and innovation within the familial master-disciple lineage system in Japan, as well as to enjoy the marvelous results of the engagement of a series of devoted and sophisticated artists with a revered natural material.

This exhibition is guest curated by Mr. Robert T. Coffland of the TAI Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, who along with Dennis and Alexandra Lenehan and Wendy and Stan Simpson, generously provided support for its creation.

Gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday 1-5 pm. Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for students with valid ID. Children 12 and under free.

Weekly docent tours are held Saturdays at 1pm and guided group tours can be arranged by calling the Center in advance at 559.582.4915.

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