Acrylic on canvas painting by Atsuko Tanaka, 1932 to 2005, a Japanese avant-garde artist, a central figure of the Gutai Art Association. The artwork depicts an abstract geometrical composition in primary colors against the white background. Signed by the artist and dated 1990 on the backside. Black frame. Collectible Mid Century Modernist Fine Art, Women Artists.
oil pastel on paper, signed and dated (on the reverse), framed (not examined out of the frame), sold with a registration card by the Kanayama Akira and Tanaka Atsuko Association
Acrylic on canvas painting by Atsuko Tanaka, 1932 to 2005, a Japanese avant-garde artist, a central figure of the Gutai Art Association. The artwork depicts an abstract geometrical composition. Signed by the artist and dated 1963 on the backside. Collectible Mid Century Modernist Fine Art, Women Artists.
Atsuko Tanaka Untitled colored pencil on paper 13 h x 9.5 w in (33 x 24 cm) Signed to verso 'A. Tanaka'. Provenance: Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Reuter, Stinson Beach, CA | Acquired from the previous c. 1995, Private Collection | Private Collection This work will ship from Lambertville, New Jersey.
Atsuko Tanaka Untitled colored pencil on paper 9 h x 11.875 w in (23 x 30 cm) Signed to verso 'A. Tanaka'. Provenance: Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Reuter, Stinson Beach, CA | Acquired from the previous c. 1995, Private Collection | Private Collection This work will ship from Lambertville, New Jersey.
Acrylic on canvas painting by Atsuko Tanaka, 1932 to 2005, a Japanese avant-garde artist, a central figure of the Gutai Art Association. The artwork depicts an abstract geometrical composition. Signed by the artist and dated 1963 on the backside. Collectible Mid Century Modernist Fine Art, Women Artists.
Atsuko Tanaka, Japanese, 1932 to 2005, a synthetic polymer painting on canvas depicting an abstract composition, 1964. Signed in Latin and with Japanese ideograms, and dated, on the backside. Framed. A vintage gallery paper label is on the backside. Atsuko Tanaka was a Japanese avant garde artist. She was a central figure of the Gutai Art Association from 1955 to 1965. Her works have found increased curatorial and scholarly attention across the globe since the early 2000s, when she received her first museum retrospective in Ashiya, Japan, which was followed by the first retrospective abroad, in New York and Vancouver. Her work was featured in multiple exhibitions on Gutai art in Europe and North America. One of a kind artwork. Avant Garde Art, Abstract Paintings And Wall Decor Collectibles.
Attributed to Atsuko Tanaka, Japanese, 1932 to 2005, oil painting on canvas depicting an abstract composition, 1964. Signed with Japanese ideograms, lower right. Framed. Atsuko Tanaka was a Japanese avant garde artist. She was a central figure of the Gutai Art Association from 1955 to 1965. Her works have found increased curatorial and scholarly attention across the globe since the early 2000s, when she received her first museum retrospective in Ashiya, Japan, which was followed by the first retrospective abroad, in New York and Vancouver. Her work was featured in multiple exhibitions on Gutai art in Europe and North America. One of a kind artwork. Avant Garde Art, Abstract Paintings And Wall Decor Collectibles.
Acrylic on canvas painting by Atsuko Tanaka, 1932 to 2005, a Japanese avant-garde artist, a central figure of the Gutai Art Association. The artwork depicts an abstract geometrical composition. Signed by the artist and dated 1963 on the backside. Collectible Mid Century Modernist Fine Art, Women Artists.
Atsuko Tanaka, Japanese, 1932 to 2005, an synthetic polymer painting on paper depicting an abstract composition, 1964. Signed in Latin and with Japanese ideograms, and dated, on the backside. Framed. A vintage gallery paper label is on the backside. Atsuko Tanaka was a Japanese avant garde artist. She was a central figure of the Gutai Art Association from 1955 to 1965. Her works have found increased curatorial and scholarly attention across the globe since the early 2000s, when she received her first museum retrospective in Ashiya, Japan, which was followed by the first retrospective abroad, in New York and Vancouver. Her work was featured in multiple exhibitions on Gutai art in Europe and North America. One of a kind artwork. Avant Garde Art, Abstract Paintings And Wall Decor Collectibles.
Atsuko Tanaka 1932 - 2005 Untitled signed and dated 2001 on the reverse enamel on photographic paper (firmato e datato 2001 sul retro smalto su carta fotografica) cm 54,7x39,6; inches 21½ by 15⅝ Framed: cm 59x44x2,5; inches 23¼ by 17⅜ by 1
An oil on canvas painting depicting a colorful abstract composition by Atsuko Tanaka, Japanese, 1932 to 2005. Signed on the backside in Latin and Japanese ideograms, dated 1964. Bears vintage gallery paper labels attached to the stretcher. Framed. Note: Atsuko Tanaka was a Japanese avant-garde artist. She was a central figure of the Gutai Art Association from 1955 to 1965. Her works have found increased curatorial and scholarly attention across the globe since the early 2000s, when she received her first museum retrospective in Ashiya, Japan, which was followed by the first retrospective abroad, in New York and Vancouver. Her work was featured in multiple exhibitions on Gutai art in Europe and North America. One of a kind artwork. Avant Garde Art, Abstract Paintings And Wall Decor Collectibles.
Atsuko Tanaka 1932 - 2005 Untitled signed and dated 81 (on the reverse) enamel on canvas 72.5 by 59.8 cm. 28½ by 23 in. framed: 92.7 by 80.2 cm. 36½ by 31⅝ in. Executed in 1981.
Atsuko Tanaka 1932 - 2005 '90C synthetic polymer paint on canvas signed, titled and dated 1990 on the reverse 130.5 by 80.5 cm. 51⅜ by 31¾ in. ---------------------------------------------- 田中敦子 1932 - 2005 ’90C 合成樹脂漆畫布 1990年作 款識 1990，《’90C》，Atsuko Tanaka（作品背面） 130.5 x 80.5 公分，51⅜ x 31¾ 英寸
Atsuko Tanaka (1932-2005 Japanese) ''Untitled'' 1959 Synthetic Polymer on Canvas 64.5''x51'' Image. Important museum quality electric abstraction from her Gutai period (1955-65). Signed in Kanji lower right. Signed and dated again on verso. Christie's 00105798 inventory label and Lou Sgroi Studio ink stamp on stretcher verso. Original framing 65.5''x52''. Some minor scattered areas of stable craquelure. Overall excellent condition. Provenance: Originally from a private estate in New York's Dakota Building. Purchased David Rago Auctions (now Rago/Wright) ''20th Century Modern Auction'' 3 May 1998, Lot 674. Acquired from the above by present owner, Seattle Washington. This painting was one of twenty-three lots in that sale originating from a private estate in the Dakota Building, New York. Lots included an original Friedrich Hundertwasser painting as well as modern design. The original auction catalog and copy of receipt will be included with purchase. Tanaka's painting can be found in some of the most prominent Modern Art Museums around the globe including the Museum of Modern Art, New York and Centre Pompidou, Paris. The Gutai Art Association was an avant garde artist group in Japan founded by Jiro Yoshihara in 1954. Its other members included Sadamasa Motonaga, Akira Kanayama, Saburo Murakami, Kazuo Shiraga, and Atsuko Tanaka.
Atsuko TANAKA (1932-2005) ; Abstract ; 1983 ; Synthetic polymer on canvas ; dimensions 185 x 155 cm (73 x 61 in.) ; signed and dated on verso ; Shipping to USA - DHL $935 , National post with tracking service $625 / Shipping to EU, Middle Assia - DHL $745 , National post with tracking service $575
Atsuko TANAKA (1932-2005) ; Abstract ; 1983 ; Synthetic polymer on canvas ; dimensions 185 x 155 cm (73 x 61 in.) ; signed and dated on verso ; Shipping to USA - DHL $935 , National post with tracking service $625 / Shipping to EU, Middle Assia - DHL $745 , National post with tracking service $575
Atsuko TANAKA (1932-2005) ; Abstract ; 1964 ; synthetic polymer on canvas ; dimensions 53,3 x 41,2 cm (21 x 16 1/4 in.) ; signed and dated on verso ; Shipping to USA - DHL $210 , National post with tracking service $105 / Shipping to EU, Russia, Middle Assia - DHL $130 , National post with tracking service $55
Atsuko TANAKA (1932-2005) ; Abstract ; 1964 ; synthetic polymer on canvas ; dimensions 53,3 x 41,2 cm (21 x 16 1/4 in.) ; signed and dated on verso ; Shipping to USA - DHL $210 , National post with tracking service $105 / Shipping to EU, Russia, Middle Assia - DHL $130 , National post with tracking service $55
1991-91f 1991-91f 簽名畫背：‘91f Ø 90 cm Atsuko Tanaka Signed reverse Atsuko Tanaka, titled ‘91f and inscribed Ø 90 cm 田中敦子是日本戰後「具體派」代表性的前衛藝術家。1932年出生於日本大阪，年少時期經歷日本軍國主義。二次大戰的由盛轉衰，美軍佔領期間，受惠於韓戰軍需的經濟刺激。當1956年通天閣再度樹立天際線，田中敦子的前衛藝術亦如大阪城市，從焦土中重生，開出五彩霓虹的燈火，照亮阪神港區夜空。 戰後日本以文化交流修復國際關係，間接催化國內新型態藝術活動的興起。1954年創辦人吉原治良，號召有志青年們加入「具體美術家協會」的行列，並以「絕不仿效他人」精神口號，成功將日本當代藝術，推向國際舞台的中心。吉原超越民族主義的前瞻思維，成功打破文化藩籬，集合起田中敦子、白髮一雄、嶋本昭三等藝術家，吸引了西方藝壇的目光。1957年石橋美術館與讀賣新聞社共同舉辦「世界當代藝術展」展覽，促成了法國不定形藝術（Art Informal）– 米歇爾．塔皮耶（Michel Tapié）、福泰爾（Jean Fautrier） 及喬治． 馬修（Georges Mathieu）等藝術家造訪日本。隔年，塔皮耶再次造訪日本邀請具體派藝術家與非定型藝術家交流，共同展出「新的繪畫世界展─非定型主義與具體」，促而將「具體」概念傳入當時的歐洲。 「創作中最有趣的事，是當馬達轉動著發光裝置，那些我層層擺設的燈泡，四射著人工無法複製的異樣美感。」 不同於當年的藝術家草間彌生、小野洋子，田中敦子並未飛往美國追求更開放的社會風氣，向外尋求自由的生活型態或是成名機會。相反地，她留守於日本參與具體派，與眾藝術先鋒有志一同開創新格局，並堅持自己獨特的藝術表現，她思考藝術在戰後的新興社會，得以何種形式連接起個體與外部世界。1953年至1958年間，田中敦子的創作同時間橫跨行為藝術、極簡主義、觀念藝術等等，如此蓬勃先進的創作展演，超前當年歐美藝術圈近乎十年的發展。重疊1950年代運用新媒材，帶有實驗與展演性質的作品，約莫1956年開始其平面作品中，出現了霓虹燈/ 圓點、電路圖為靈感的抽象圖像，也是在同一年第二屆具體派展覽，藝術家身著由超過二百顆燈泡、電燈管串聯起的《電氣服》（Electric Dress, 1956）作品展示在世人面前，該作品從物質跨越到意象，充滿不安與突破危險，從而確立田中敦子當代藝術成就的里程碑。 「作品完成的時候，我對線路的銜接其實沒有把握。但是必須有人穿上它，我將自己覆蓋上塑料再穿上電氣裙。當神戶先生說：要打開開關囉？我一瞬間想著：這就是死囚刑前的感受？」為了創作前所未有的藝術，田中敦子以身體實踐之，可見其義無反顧。 2019年台北市立美術館舉行「她的抽象」展覽，田中敦子作為日本戰後，前衛藝術的靈魂人物，其美術地位與草間彌生並駕齊驅。田中敦子參與具體派的活動直至1965年，脫離群體的活動，並不影響她貫徹自己的藝術理念。1968年行為藝術《沙上圓圈》（Round on Sand）田中敦子在海潮與沙地之間，以身體為中心手持樹枝，不斷畫出綿延的圓形幾何圖樣，她物理性地將身體「投入」在創作過程，隨時間單向流逝，逐一感受四周環境的細微變化，似乎人體行動是唯一串起無機介質的導體。2007年第五屆Documenta 12 卡塞爾文件大展、2011年紐約現代美術館MoMA 大量展出的田中敦子作品，她的藝術重新回到世人眼前，宣示其獨特且無與倫比的代表性。2012年東京當代美術館舉行：田中敦子個展「連接的藝術」（The Art of Connecting），是該同名畫展巡迴於英國IKON Gallery、西班牙EACC 藝術中心之後，最為盛大的回顧展覽。匯集100 多件包含素描、雕塑、服飾、技術、拼貼等等，不同材質的創作品。誠如田中敦子自認，創作超越既定印象與材質的限制，擴及時間、空間、聲音，各式的創作皆可看待是「繪畫」的表現形式。 「醫學與科學飛速發展，人們甚至討論要如何飛到火星，而我祇想創造與時俱進的藝術。」田中敦子如是說。 Atsuko Tanaka was an avant-garde artist representative of Japan's post-war "Gutai group." Born in Osaka, Japan in 1932, Tanaka experienced Japanese militarism during her adolescent years. Following Japan's decline after World War II, during the US Army occupation, the Japanese society benefited from the economic stimulus sparked by the military industry of the Korean War. In 1956 when Tsutenkaku was rebuilt and once again stood on the skyline, in much the same way as Osaka City, Tanaka's avant-garde art was reborn from a scorched earth, sparking glamorous fireworks on Hanshin Harbor's night sky. After the war, Japan repaired its international relations through cultural exchange, which indirectly catalyzed the rise of new artistic activities in the country. In 1954, Gutai founder Jiro Yoshihara called for aspiring young people to join the Gutai Art Association. With the motto of "never imitate others," Gutai successfully drove Japanese contemporary art to the center of the international stage. Yoshihara's forward-looking ideas transcended beyond nationalism while successfully tearing down cultural barriers. By bringing together artists, such as Atsuko Tanaka, Kazuo Shiraga, and Shozo Shimamoto, Gutai attracted the attention of the western art world. In 1957, the Bridgestone Museum of Art and Yomiuri Shimbun jointly held the Contemporary World Art Exhibition, attracting French Art Informel artists, including Michel Tapié, Jean Fautrier, and Georges Mathieu, to visit Japan. In the following year, Tapie visited Japan again to invite Gutai artists to exchange ideas with Art Informal artists. Through the joint organization of the "International Art of a New Era: Informel and Gutai," the "Gutai" concept was introduced to Europe at the time. Unlike other artists of her time, such as Yayoi Kusama and Yoko Ono, Tanaka did not fly to the United States to pursue a more open social atmosphere, and have a bold lifestyle or a chance to be famous. In contrast, she stayed in Japan and joined the Gutai group to create new innovations with various art pioneers who shared the same ambitions. She persisted in her unique artistic expressions, and contemplated what form of art could connect individuals to the outside world in the new post-war society. Between 1953 and 1958, Atsuko Tanaka created works that simultaneously spanned across performance art, minimalism, conceptualism, and more. The level of development in such a vigorous and advanced creative performance was nearly a decade ahead of European and US art circles at that time. On top of using new media to create experimental, performative works in the 1950s, Atsuko Tanaka's graphic works began to feature abstract images inspired by neon lights, polka dots, and circuit diagrams in 1956. At the second Gutai Art Exhibition in the same year, the artist debuted Electric Dress (1956) to the world by wearing a dress made of more than two hundreds of light bulbs and light tubes. As a crossover between materialism and imagery, the daring and wild breakthrough in this work marked the milestone of Atsuko Tanaka's achievement in contemporary art history. "When it was finished, I was uncomfortable about the electrical connections. Since somebody had to wear it, I covered myself with vinyl and put the electric dress on. The moment Mr. Sannomiya said, "I am turning the electricity on," I had the fleeting thought: Is this how a death-row inmate would feel?" For the purpose of creating unprecedented art, Atsuko Tanaka fit her body into the dress without any hesitation. The Taipei Fine Arts Museum held the "Herstory of Abstraction in East Asia" exhibition in 2019. As the soul of Japan's post-war avant-garde art, Tanaka had a neck-andneck art achievement as Yayoi Kusama. Tanaka participated in the Gutai group's activities until 1965. Breaking away from group activities did not influence her implementation of her art philosophy. For the 1968 performance art Round on Sand, Tanaka drew continuous circles and geometric patterns on tidal sand by a tree branch with her body as the center. She physically "devoted" her body to the creative process in perception of individual, subtle changes in the surrounding environment as time elapsed unidirectionally, as if human body movement was the only conductor that connected inorganic media. The 2007 Kassel Documenta 12 and 2011 MoMA exhibition in New York featured many of Atsuko Tanaka's works and brought her art back to the general audience, demonstrating her unique and unparalleled representation. In 2012, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo held Atsuko Tanaka's solo exhibition: The Art of Connecting. It was the most significant retrospective exhibition since the exhibition by the same name toured to the IKON Gallery in the UK and EACC Art Center in Spain. The exhibition featured a collection of over 100 pieces of works including sketches, sculptures, clothes, techniques, and collages made by different materials. As Atsuko Tanaka admitted, creation can transcend the limits of given impressions and materials, extending to time, space, and sound. All kinds of creations can be perceived as an expression of "painting." "There's been so much progress in medicine and science, with people even talking about flying to Mars, and I just want to create art that can coexist with these times." Atsuko Tanaka expressed.
作品 99-A Work 99-A 簽名畫背：田中敦子 1999 Signed reverse Atsuko Tanaka in Kanji and dated 1999 田中敦子自1953 到1958 年間，其藝術實踐疾如雷電，圍繞當時世界藝壇剛剛崛起的極簡主義、改變物質材料地位的觀念主義，以及跨媒介策略展開，較之後來在歐美興起的藝術運動要早早提前了十年。作品《99-A》是其創作後期階段與「具體派」的原有理念出現分歧的標誌之一，田中敦子進而將創作從立體的裝置藝術轉向了平面畫作，各種形態的波點和圓形便成為了她最主要的創作元素。田中敦子喜歡在畫中用縷縷的線條將這些圓形圍繞串聯，純色的圓圈彷彿是在畫框的有限空間中不斷拉扯和彈跳的「生命體」，裹挾著混雜的思緒；這些線條既沒有開始，也沒有盡頭。以至於視覺語法侵入了日常生活的生動紋理，令人驚奇且直率，使其成為後期繪畫的亮點之作。田中敦子一直把這些不限媒介的藝術實驗稱為「繪畫」，奠定了其在藝術創作後期進行大量抽象潑畫的基礎。作為戰後世界女性藝術群體中的代表人物，田中敦子的作品自始至終具備極強的跨媒介藝術精神，其長達數十年的彩色「線與圈」系列是最為著名的抽象裝置作品。 From 1953 to 1958, the art of Atsuko Tanaka struck the global art scene like lightning with styles spanning minimalism, which had just emerged at the time, to conceptualism, which had changed the role of physical materials, and even extending to transmedia strategies. Her development was ten years ahead of those of art movements that appeared later in Europe and the United States. The work titled 99-A marks a divergence between the original "Gutai'" philosophy and Tanaka's creations later in her career. From there, Tanaka shifted her focus from 3D installation art to graphic paintings, as different forms of polka dots and circles became the primary elements of her creations. Tanaka likes to encircle and connect the rings in her paintings with threads of lines. The full-colored circles look like "units of life" that keep on stretching and bouncing within the boundary of a frame, entrapped within mixed trains of thought. These lines neither have a beginning nor an end. In this way, the visual language penetrates the expressive textures of daily life, thereby presenting the fascination and openness that brighten up Tanaka's paintings later in her career. Tanaka herself has always referred to these transmedia artistic experiments as "paintings," which laid the foundation for substantial abstract splash paintings in her later stages of artistic creation. As a representative figure in the group of post-war female artists, Atsuko Tanaka's work has always featured a strong transmedia art spirit. In particular, her colorful and decades-old Line and Circles is her most celebrated series of abstract installation art.
D.45 1986-D2 D.45 1986-D2 簽名題識畫背：1986 D2 Atsuko Tanaka Signed reverse Atsuko Tanaka and titled 1986 D2 附日本Yoshiaki Inoue畫廊開立之作品保證書 This lot is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity issued by Yoshiaki Inoue Gallery, Japan. 1932年生於日本大阪，戰後社會急於復甦，蓬勃發展的力量，澆灌了田中敦子的藝術生涯。19歲進入京都市立美術大學就讀，後轉於大阪市立美術館附設美術研究所學習，她在風氣更開放的環境，追尋自己的藝術道路。1954年加入「0會」（Zero Kai），該會於1952年由金山明、白髮一雄、村上三郎等人成立，旨在突破現有的藝術概念，發展屬於日本獨有的當代藝術脈絡。不久，該會成員包含田中敦子，加入吉元治良主持的「具體美術協會」。「具體派」的藝術理念衍生自襌宗思想，強調事物原本的物理性與材料性，直視精神與物質兩者之間相立，互不從屬的平等互動，進而具體化物質靈性的意志。他們致立於拓展新的藝術表現形式，無論是物質（媒材）亦或是概念（精神）。 Born in Osaka in 1932, Atsuko Tanaka’s art career was deeply inspired by the resurgent and flourishing power of post-war Japan. At the age of 19, she studied at Kyoto Municipal College of Art (now Kyoto City University of Arts), and later at the Art Institute of Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts (now Art Institute of Osaka Municipal Museum of Art), pursuing her artistic career in a more open environment. In 1954, she joined Zero Kai, an art society founded by Akira Kanayama, Kazuo Shiraga, and Saburo Murakami. The aim of the society was to break down conventions and develop a unique path for Japan contemporary art. Afterwards, the members of the society including Tanaka joined the Gutai Art Association founded by Jiro Yoshihara. The belief of Gutai derives from that of Zen, which looks into the original physicality and materiality of things. Gutai artists explored the non-affiliated interaction between spirit and matter on an equal basis, and further gave form to the spirituality of matter. Whether matter (material) - wise or spirit (concept)-wise, the artists dedicated themselves to developing new forms of art.
簽名畫背：2002 02g Atsuko Tanaka Atsuko Tanaka Signed reverse Atsuko Tanaka, titled 02g and dated 2002 1932年生於日本大阪，戰後社會急於復甦，蓬勃發展的力量，澆灌了田中敦子的藝術生涯。19歲進入京都市立美術大學就讀，後轉於大阪市立美術館附設美術研究所學習，她在風氣更開放的環境，追尋自己的藝術道路。1954年加入「0會」（Zero Kai），該會於1952年由金山明、白髮一雄、村上三郎等人成立，旨在突破現有的藝術概念，發展屬於日本獨有的當代藝術脈絡。不久，該會成員包含田中敦子，加入吉元治良主持的「具體美術協會」。「具體派」的藝術理念衍生自襌宗思想，強調事物原本的物理性與材料性，直視精神與物質兩者之間相立，互不從屬的平等互動，進而具體化物質靈性的意志。他們致立於拓展展 新的藝術表現形式，無論是物質（媒材）亦或是概念（精神）。 1955年，田中敦子於該協會第一屆美術展上發表《作品 （鈴）》；隔年亦即發表作品《電氣服》。她將電路、霓虹燈管，比喻人體的血路、器官構造。一襲以二百多個彩色燈泡及燈管拼合的連身裙，由藝術家親自穿在身上展演，隨燈光一暗一閃明滅，映照藝術家的臉龐，直指光、電等物理性能量與人的關係。藝術家更曾表示隨電流的通過，她甚至感到一絲死亡的顫慄。田中敦子的前衛一炮而紅，奠定劃時代的藝術突破，開啟自身創作語彙，更是以當時稀有的女性之姿，在群雄的崢嶸中脫穎而出。 田中敦子的作品《02g》標誌其經典具特色性的創作風格，乃藝術家晚期貫徹終生藝術意志之作。飽和的五色波點圓圈，彼此緊密靠攏，細胞們融合交集，突破個體之分界；又像電子與正子互相碰撞泯滅，生成光子電流的瞬逝剎那。藝術家精深宏大的精神層次帶來能量，穿梭畫作的各個角落交織連結著錯綜複雜的虛擬空間。大小圓形聚合分散，亦或是內含其中，此因纏繞曲線連結成網。隱形流暢的力量震盪著觀者心智，因理性思辨而生的感性創作，探索宇宙乃至單一細胞千變萬化的未知性。田中敦子的畫作，背馳多數人選擇「空」的追求，回身包容現世以純粹抽象的表現，溫柔堅定地闡述「關係」二字在物質、精神世界所囊括的浩瀚可能。 Born in Osaka in 1932, Atsuko Tanaka’s art career was deeply inspired by the resurgent and flourishing power of postwar Japan. At the age of 19, she studied at Kyoto Municipal College of Art (now Kyoto City University of Arts), and later at the Art Institute of Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts (now Art Institute of Osaka Municipal Museum of Art), pursuing her artistic career in a more open environment. In 1954, she joined Zero Kai, an art society founded by Akira Kanayama, Kazuo Shiraga, and Saburo Murakami. The aim of the society was to break down conventions and develop a unique path for Japan contemporary art. Afterwards, the members of the society including Tanaka joined the Gutai Art Association founded by Jiro Yoshihara. The belief of Gutai derives from that of Zen, which looks into the original physicality and materiality of things. Gutai artists explored the non-affiliated interaction between spirit and matter on an equal basis, and further gave form to the spirituality of matter. Whether matter (material)-wise or spirit (concept)-wise, the artists dedicated themselves to developing new forms of art. Tanaka’s work, Work (Bell), was shown at the first Gutai Art Exhibition in 1955. Another work, Electric Dress, was exhibited the next year. The dress consisted of electric wires and hundreds of colored neon light bulbs, analogizing the blood vessels and organs of a human body. Flickering lights were reflected upon the performer's face, illustrating the connection between people and physical energy, such as light and electricity. The artist said that she even shuddered when the electric current flowed through, sensing a glimpse of death. Tanaka’s avant-garde art served as a grand breakthrough in art history, and reached a peak of popularity at the time. She opened up a repository created by the artists themselves and stands out as a rare female talent from that era. 02g is a work Tanaka created later in her life. Reflecting her beliefs, the work perfectly exhibits her classic and characteristic style. Five circles filled with dots cling to each other, as if the cells are fusing, crossing the borders of their individuality. This also symbolizes the moment when electrons and positrons collide, creating light and electricity. In this virtual space of the painting, curves interweave with each other to create an intricate web. The artist’s erudite spirit brings an energy to every corner of the painting, overwhelming the viewers with its invisible power. The artwork, with its rationality and sensibility, explores the unknown from a single cell to the universe. Unlike pursuit of a “non-existence” by many others, Atsuko Tanaka creates works that embrace the real world with pure abstract expression. In a gentle yet resolute manner, she expresses all possibilities that lay in the connection between the material and spiritual worlds.
ATSUKO TANAKA (1932-2005) No. 25 signed, titled and dated 'Atsuko Tanaka No. 25 1971' (on the reverse) vinyl paint on canvas 24.4 x 19.3 cm. (9 5/8 x 7 5/8 in.) Painted in 1971
ATSUKO TANAKA (JAPAN, 1932-2005) Untitled signed and dated ‘Atsuko Tanaka 1992' (on the reverse) vinyl paint on canvas 26.5 x 21.5 cm. (10 3/8 x 8 1/2 in.) Painted in 1992
TANAKA ATSUKO (1932-2005) 81B 1981 smalti su tela cm 71 5x59 firmato e datato sul retro sul retro: etichetta della Gutai Paintings in the Midsummer Burning Sun ArteTv Padiglioni Arti Marcon Settembre 2015 certificato di autenticità di Artesilva Seregno (MB) provenienza: Galleria Toselli Milano ArteSilva Seregno (MB) 81B 1981 enamel on canvas 28 14x23 22 in signed and dated on the reverse on the reverse: label of Gutai Paintings in the Midsummer Burning Sun ArteTv Padiglioni Arti Marcon September 2015 certificate of authenticity by Artesilva Seregno (MB) provenance: Galleria Toselli Milan Artesilva Seregno (MB) esposizioni: 2002 Atsuko Tanaka Galleria Toselli Milano; 2015 Collezione Fluida Galleria Schubert Milano; 2015 Gutai Paintings in the Midsummer Burning Sun ArteTv Padiglioni Arti Marcon Settembre 2015; 2015 Domo Arte Udine bibliografia: Atsuko Tanaka Edizioni Toselli pag.27; Atsuko Tanaka Search for an Unknown Aesthetic 1954-2000 Ashiya Museum of Art & History and Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art 2001 N.178; Avido d'Arte Maurizio Calvi Collection a cura di Michela Danzi Editore ARTantide pag.67; Collezione Fluida a cura di Michela Danzi Galleria Schubert Milano pag.38; Gutai Paintings in the Midsummer Burning Sun editore Artcom Venezia; Building. Collection under construction a cura di Michela Danzi Artantide 2016 pag.66-67
ATSUKO TANAKA (JAPAN, 1932-2005) Work signed TBC (on the reverse) acrylic and lacquer on canvas mounted on board 22.7 x 16 cm. (8 7/8 x 6 1/4 in.) Painted in 1999
