Maeda Masahiro

Exhibitions
biography

Maeda specializes in Iroe kin-gin sai (painted gold and silver color decoration) technique, which was originally developed in Song China (10-12th century AD), and then imported to Japan in the seventeenth century. After the first firing, the ware is re-fired with color glazes at a low temperature. Afterwards, gold and silver decorations are applied and the ware is fired again under an even lower temperature. Maeda uses subdued colors and abstract motifs to decorate his wares. They are wildly popular in Japan as table ware and are collected both in the US and Europe.

1948 Born in Kyoto, Japan
BFA in ceramics from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
1975 Completed graduate studies at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts under the direction of Fujimoto Yoshimichi, Tamura Koichi, and Asano Akira
1979 Tutor at Tama University of Fine Arts
1984 Tutor at Kutani Ware Institute of Technology
1996 Work acquired by The Japan Foundation
1997 Juror, New works of The Japan Traditional Art and Craft Exhibition (also in ’00, ’01, ‘06, ’07, and ’10-’12)
2002 Juror, Japan Traditional Art and Craft Exhibition
Awards:

1988 Award, Japan Traditional Art and Craft Exhibition
1998 Emerging Artist Prize, new works exhibition of the Japan Traditional Art and
Craft Exhibition
2008 Honorable Mention, The Second Musée Tomo Prize: Contemporary Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony, Musée Tomo, Tokyo
2010 Third Musée Tomo Prize, Contemporary Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony- Free Creativity, Musée Tomo, Tokyo
MOA Art Appreciation Prize
2011 Japan Ceramic Association Award
Gold Prize, Japan Ceramics Society

Selected Public Collections:

Art Institute of Chicago, IL
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
Asahi Beer, Ōyamazaki Villa Art Museum
Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
MOA Museum of Art, Atami
Musée Tomo, Tokyo
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Maeda Masahiro
bio pt 1

Born 1948, Kyoto, Japan

Initially a painter, Maeda turned to clay and became a graduate student under two Living National Treasures, Fujimoto Yoshimichi (Nōdō) (1919-92) and Tamura Kōichi (1918-87) at Tokyo University of the Arts.

Departing from tradition, he thickly applies matte Western overglaze enamels in captivating combinations of colorful and subdued tonalities to his functional porcelain vessels, achieving a uniquely painterly surface. Drawing inspiration from a broad variety of sources, from owls to linear textiles, Maeda is celebrated for both his enticing pictorial and abstract motifs. Maeda specializes in iro-e kinginsai (painted color decoration with gold and silver) technique, which was originally developed in Song China (10-12th centuries CE) and then imported to Japan in the 17th century. After the bisque firing, the ware is re-fired multiple times with a variety of color glazes. Lastly, gold and/or silver are applied and the vessel is fired again at an even lower temperature. Maeda’s ceramics are wildly popular in Japan and are collected both in the US and Europe.
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