Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (MIMOCA)
photo by Yoshiro Masuda
[Opened in 1991, over 30 years in operation]
MIMOCA opened on its site in front of JR Marugame Station on November 23, 1991. Staying true to Genichiro Inokuma’s wish for a contemporary art museum dedicated to the new artistic expression of the moment, MIMOCA offers a variety of exhibitions and programs.
[Housing 20,000 works by Genichiro Inokuma]
Home to around 20,000 paintings, drawings and other works by Genichiro Inokuma, MIMOCA covers Inokuma’s life and career with incredible breadth and depth through its exhibitions, plus a diverse range of resources from the tiny works Inokuma dubbed “Dialogue Sculptures,” to items he and his wife collected around the world and made part of their daily lives.
[As a museum specializing in contemporary art]
MIMOCA presents exhibitions of work by both Japanese and international artists, with a focus on contemporary art. To date this has included solo exhibitions devoted to the work of, among others, Jan Fabre, Marina Abramović, Marlene Dumas, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Shinro Ohtake and Chiharu Shiota. The museum is also proactive in showcasing emerging artists. Casting its gaze even wider to contemporary creative expression, the museum also covers fashion and furniture design, and contemporary architecture.
[Stunning architecture designed by Yoshio Taniguchi]
The MIMOCA building was the work of Yoshio Taniguchi, a highly-regarded designer of multiple art museums. His dialogue with Inokuma resulted in a building that embodies the ideals of both artist and architect, down to the smallest detail.
photo by Yoshiro Masuda
photo by Yoshiro Masuda
(1) The largest exhibition of Genichiro Inokuma's work ever held in the museum's collection
Focusing on his interactions with world-class artists such as Isamu Noguchi, Mark Rothko, and Charles & Ray Eames, his collaboration with architects and designers such as Kenzo Tange, Yoshio Taniguchi, and Isamu Kenmochi, and the cultural products of his design work, including the wrapping paper for Mitsukoshi, the exhibition “EXPO INOKUMA” introduces the footprints of Genichiro Inokuma, who played an important role not only as a painter but also in international cultural exchange, both in Japan and abroad, including Kagawa Prefecture, through numerous documents..
(2) Implementation of high value-added programs
Provide “special museum experiences” for visitors, including inbound visitors, through temporary opening of the museum at night and early morning, concerts in the museum, and hands-on events, etc., which will lead to an extension of their stay.
3) Promotion of inbound travel
In conjunction with the “EXPO INOKUMA” at the Shikoku Mura Museam (Takamatsu City), which is held in conjunction with the exhibition “Genichiro Inokuma” at the Shikokumura museum, we will offer a bus tour of cultural facilities in the prefecture to introduce the appeal of art and architecture, not only on the islands, such as Naoshima, but also in other areas.
4) Strengthen information dissemination for inbound visitors
Promote inbound visitors to the museum and increase their satisfaction through bilingual information dissemination via the website and SNS, bilingual information posted inside the museum, and a web-app version of the museum's guide.
photo by Keizo Kioku
photo by Keizo Kioku
photo by Keizo Kioku
Main works (stored items)
Genichiro Inokuma, Mademoiselle M, 1940
Genichiro Inokuma (1902-93) was born in Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. After attending a local junior high school, he entered the Western painting department of the Tokyo Fine Arts School (now, Tokyo University of the Arts). While still a student, in 1926 he was selected for the first time to participate in the Imperial Art Academy Exhibition (Teiten), the most prestigious exhibition in Japan at the time, and for a while thereafter, the Teiten was his main venue for showing his work. In 1936, he established the New Creation Society (Shinseisaku-ha Kyokai) with his friends under the slogan "No involvement in government exhibitions in the spirit of anti-academic art," with the aim of "purely figurative pursuit. The association attracted attention as a group of young painters with a modern sensibility.
Two years later, in 1938, Inokuma went to France and finally fulfilled his dream of studying in Paris in his mid-30s. While in Paris, he received a great deal of inspiration and vigorously painted the city and its inhabitants. During his stay in France, he met Henri Matisse and had several opportunities to show his paintings. Matisse did not give him specific instructions, but simply repeated, "It's not bad," and pointedly said, "You like Picasso, don't you?” The most painful thing he said was, "Your paintings are too good," which Inokuma interpreted as meaning, "They are not yet your own work.”
Essentially, painting well is linked to thinking that you’d like people to think well of your paintings. It’s only natural that some people will be better than others. The most important thing is to paint what you set out to in an honest, unadorned style. *
Inokuma's stay in Paris was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II, and in May 1940, with German troops closing in on Paris, he completed his work Mademoiselle M just before returning home. The realistic depiction of the woman's eyes staring straight ahead impresses the viewer with her strong spirituality and draws the viewer's eye. The rest of the painting, except for the face, is executed with a quick and concise touch, and there is no hesitation or overt artifice in the brushwork. With this work, Inokuma said he was "satisfied" with his figurative expression.
*Excerpt from "My Resume: Genichiro Inokuma" (2003)
©The MIMOCA Foundation
Genichiro Inokuma, Landscape, 1972
After a wide range of creative activities in Tokyo, including wrapping paper design and mural painting, Inokuma moved to the U.S. in 1955 and was based in New York until 1975. Inokuma's work shifted from figurative to abstract as he interacted with many artists and became fascinated with the city.
In the 1972 solo exhibition at the Willard Gallery, approximately 20 works entitled "Landscape" were presented at once. The day before the exhibition, Inokuma wrote in his diary, "It's going to be wonderful. It's going to be the most fulfilling thing I've ever done.” When the exhibition actually began, it was well received by the public and critic, with a favorable review in the New York Times and one of the exhibited works being acquired by the Guggenheim Museum.
Inokuma said of his Landscape series, "It is not my intention to sketch, but rather, the plastic vein of the city itself naturally becomes a painting.” * New York City is characterized by its grid pattern of streets and skyscrapers. They began to be built in the 1930s, and by the time Inokuma came to the U.S. in the 1950s, many excellent buildings had been completed. Inokuma, who loved architecture, often visited the Lever House (completed in 1952) and the Seagram Building (completed in 1958) when he was tired of working on his projects.
A high beauty flowed through them, as if just staring at the magnificent formations that occupied a single space would sort out the confusion in my mind. **
Because Inokuma gained confidence in abstract painting through his work in New York, he was able to paint landscapes, which are neither realistic nor imaginary, as unique abstractions that capture the characteristics of New York despite their simple shapes, such as squares, circles, and fine bumps.
*Genichiro Inokuma and Kazuyoshi Yamazaki, "Healing from an illness, working on a solo exhibition with great enthusiasm," Nihon Bijutsu, May 1974, pp. 54-58.
** Excerpt from "My Resume: Genichiro Inokuma" (2003)
©The MIMOCA Foundation
