TAKESADA MATSUTANI

Takesada Matsutani initially aspired to Japanese painting but later shifted his interest to contemporary art. Starting in 1960, he began exhibiting his works in Gutai art exhibitions and officially became a member of the Gutai Art Association in 1963. In the mid-term of Gutai, Takesada Matsutani, along with Shuji Mukai and Tsuyoshi Maekawa, were collectively referred to as the "3M" and became active core members of the second generation of Gutai.

Matsutani opted for Elmer’s glue, a versatile adhesive developed soon after the war, as his primary medium and developed his own style. The glossy and sticky texture of the adhesive, combined with its ability to form organic and sensual shapes, captivated attention as a new and unique possibility in the realm of painting. This artistic approach suggested previously unexplored possibilities.

In 1966, Matsutani moved to France and pursued professional studies in printmaking at the workshop of Stanley William Hayter. Later, he independently produced a series of prints based on photographs. In the late 1970s, he started using black pencils for drawing, and after the 1980s, he reintroduced Elmer’s glue into his creative process, combining it with black pencils for his creations. In June 2019, he presented a solo exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou.

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TAKESADA MATSUTANI

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50 Years Since the End | The Gutai Art Association as seen at the National Museum of Art, Osaka

January 4, 2023
ART NEWS

50 Years Since the End | The Gutai Art Association Revives at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

December 27, 2022
ART NEWS

“Into the Unknown World — GUTAI: Differentiation and Integration” at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art and the National Museum of Art

October 19, 2022
Osaka, Japan

Beyond Gutai: Exhibition Interview with Takesada Matsutani

GUTAI STILL ALIVE 2015 vol.1
14/35

Art Historian Kunio Motoe’s Take On the “Gutai Art Association”

GUTAI STILL ALIVE 2015 vol.1
01/35

RECENT SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2018: Japan House, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Bergamin & Gomide Gallery, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Marta Shefter Gallery, Krakow, Poland
Manggha Museum, Krakow, Poland
2017: JAPAN ART – Galerie Friedrich Müller, ‘Works on Paper’, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles CA
2016: Hauser & Wirth, Zurich, Switzerland
2015: Otani Memorial Art Museum, ‘Currents’, Nishinomiya, Japan
Hauser & Wirth New York, New York NY
2013: Galerie Richard, ‘Matsutani. Gutai Spirit Forever’, New York NY
Hauser & Wirth, ‘Takesada Matsutani. A Matrix’, London, England
2012: Espace muséographique George Baccrabère, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Institut Catholique de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
Galerie Jean Greset, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Besançon, France
Galerie Richard, ‘Matsutani – Des années 60 à nos jours’, Paris, France
LADS Gallery, ‘Takesada Matsutani – Around the Circle 3’, Osaka, Japan
Tsubaki Modern Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2011: Cohju Contemporary Art, ‘Around the Circle’, Kyoto, Japan
Espace du dedans, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Lille, France
Galeria d’Art Horizon, ‘Around the Circle’, Colera, Spain
Gallery Kai, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Kobe, Japan
2010: Galerie Faider, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Brussels, Belgium
Museum of Modern Art, ‘Matsutani Takesada. Stream’, Kamakura, Japan
Tsubaki Modern Gallery, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Tokyo, Japan
2009: Galerie E.G.P., ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Paris, France
Galerie Friedrich Müller, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Frankfurt, Germany
Gallery Tamura, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Hiroshima, Japan
2008: Centre culturel Saint-Mandé, ‘25ème semaine d’art contemporain de Saint-Mandé avec Galerie Negen Punt Negen, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Roeselare, Belgium
Philippe Amiel: artistes et collectionneurs, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Saint-Mandé, France
2007: Centre culturel André Malraux, ‘Matsutani – rétrospective’, Agen, France
Espace du dedans, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Lille, France
Galerie Guislain États d’Art, ‘Matsutani. Cercle’, Paris, France
Gendaikko-Museum, ‘Takesada Matsutani’, Miyazaki, Japan
Kaneko Art Gallery, ‘Matsutani. Light in a Line’, Tokyo, Japan
2006: Galerie Faider, ‘Matsutani. Cercle’, Brussels, Belgium
2005: Art Space KAN, ‘Matsutani. Stream of Time’, Kyoto, Japan
Street Gallery, ‘Matsutan, Ichi (= 1) 2005’, Kobe, Japan
Yasokawa Gallery, ‘Works on Paper’, Kobe, Japan

Black-2, Adhesive and graphite on paper, 1981

Untitled, Pencil on paper, 1981

Untitled, Cloth and ink on paper, 1999

Untitled, Watercolor and pensil on postcard, 2013

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