Spring Special Exhibition "Tsuguharu Foujita: The Ecole de Paris Era 1918-1928"

Exhibition Overview

Tsuguharu Foujita traveled to France in 1913 and continued to explore various styles until the 1920s, when his "milky ground" style took Europe by storm. These efforts reveal his unwavering determination to succeed as a Japanese artist, as well as the influence of the artists around him, who valued a free style of painting.
This exhibition, titled "Tsuguharu Foujita: The Ecole de Paris Era 1918-1928," will explore how the style of the 1910s and 1920s was born. Please take your time to enjoy the early works of Foujita, who continued to challenge himself in his quest to establish his own unique style, along with works from our museum collection.

Lecture: "Expressing the Texture of Milky White Skin" June 16, 2024 (Sun)
Lecturer: Hiroyuki Uchiro (Chief Curator, Pola Museum of Art)

Introduction of the exhibited works

Gate on the Outskirts of Town, 1918, oil on canvas

Fujita focused on painting Parisian landscapes between 1917 and 1918. These were not the so-called well-known historical sites, but rather the quiet outskirts, as the title of this painting suggests.
The deserted landscape of the city's outskirts was a theme that Henri Rousseau tackled from the 1890s onwards. Rousseau was a writer who enjoyed enduring popularity among the École de Paris, and although Fujita never met Rousseau in person, he is said to have had many opportunities to see his work. The influence of Rousseau can be seen here and there in this work, from the motifs to the melancholy colors.
Exhibition Room: Exhibition Room 2 (Green Room)

First public work "Two Girls" 1918 Oil on canvas

This work was created in August 1918 in a town near Avignon. The scene of two blonde-haired girls sitting in chairs holding a doll and a posy in their hands, gazing straight at the viewer, is reminiscent of the composition and gaze of "Two Young Girls," painted by Modigliani in the same year. The 1910s was a time when Fujita was seeking originality under the influence of Picasso, Modigliani, Rousseau, and others, and this work can be said to be one of the works from his younger days that symbolizes this. This work will be shown for the first time in this exhibition.
Exhibition Room: Exhibition Room 2 (Green Room)

Woman with a Vase, 1920, oil on canvas

Since his second wife, Ferdinand, was a devout Catholic, many of Fujita's early works have religious themes. His visit to the south of France in 1918, near Avignon, where the Papacy once stood, and his exposure to medieval religious art, also served as a catalyst for his work. His style also shows the influence of Modigliani, famous for his simplified female figures.
Exhibition Room: Exhibition Room 2 (Green Room)

Nude with Arms Raised, 1924, oil on canvas

Fujita's nude painting, which caused a stir at the Salon d'Automne in 1921, was described as having a "wonderful milky white base" and continued to take Europe by storm. It is said that Fujita achieved "exceptional success" by incorporating elements of Japanese painting into the established Western technique of oil painting.
This nude, created in 1924, is a valuable work that is painted in the same composition as the second woman from the left in Fujita's masterpiece "Five Nudes" (owned by the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo), which was exhibited at the 16th Salon d'Automne the previous year.
Exhibition Room: Exhibition Room 2 (Green Room)

Children Playing with a Dog, 1924, ink and oil on silk

In the 1920s, Fujita became famous for his "milky white grounds," but he also enthusiastically produced works in a style reminiscent of Japanese painting. One of these is "Children Playing with a Dog."
Although it is an oil painting, the style is reminiscent of Yamato-e painting, and the work conveys Fujita's determination to continue taking on challenges as a Japanese person.
Exhibition Room: Exhibition Room 3 (Yellow Room)

*Due to copyright issues, some images are displayed in small sizes of 32,400px or less.