Dates: Sat., September 17, 2022 – Sun., January 15, 2023

Venue: Exhibition room 5

Humankind has always felt the mysterious power and allure of blue, and has given shape to these feelings through art.

Since ancient times, the color blue in paintings has been produced with pigments made from powdered natural stones such as lapis lazuli and azurite. For example, the shade of oil paint made with lapis lazuli is known as ultramarine blue, while in Nihonga (modern Japanese-style painting), natural mineral pigment made with azurite is known as iwa gunjo (lit. “rock ultramarine”). These blue stones have also been prized materials in other genres of art and craft, and the stones themselves have often fashioned into statues of deities, necklaces, and other forms of jewelry, and worn as talismans. The production of celadon porcelain ware and lapis lazuli glass may also have resulted from admiration for beautiful shades of blue, such as the azure of the sky, the midnight blue of the night sky full of stars, and the vast and abyssal ocean.

In this exhibition, viewers can experience the power (effects) and mysterious magnetism of blue through modern and contemporary paintings, ceramics, and glassworks. We welcome you on a journey into the world of blue, a color beloved throughout history.