Gutai is an important movement of the Japanese avant-garde founded by Yoshihara Jiro in 1954 near Osaka (in the Kansai area). Introduced to Europe (in particular to France) by Michel Tapié, its interferences with North American Art (Automatism, Lyric abstraction, Pollock's Action Painting, Rauschenberg's, Combine Paintings and performances) as well as Arte Povera was considerable and remains insufficiently analysed.

This book will adress three fundamental issues : the importance given to the performance and to the stage, the determining influence of Japanese traditionnal Matsuri festivals on the movement, and finally, the context in wich it developed after the war ended in 1945.

The ascendance of matter, both natural and artificial. The role of the body. Pictorial gesturality. Happenings. Performance. Site specific works. Gutai invented all of these, and prefigure them all. Today, we remain spellbound before such invention, freshness, and vitality.

ISBN 9782907784146
96 pages - 230 x 300 mm
85 illustrations in B&W
Text French/english

Price : 25,69 euros

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preamble

Atsuo Yamamoto :
The space, the time, the scene and the painting
Ming Tiampo :
Moments of destruction, moments of beauty
Gutai and the Mutsuri's celebrations in Japan
Florence de Mèredieu :
Gutai and the immediate post-war years

Chronology
Photographic credits
Notes about the authors