In yesterday’s post I mentioned Japanese graphic designer Ikko Tanaka in connection with Issey Miyake’s new line of “132 5” garments and accessories.
It’s actually worthwhile rediscovering Tanaka’s work as he created some beautiful posters and illustrations throughout his career.
The Osaka-based Ddd Gallery is currently celebrating Tanaka with an exhibition entirely dedicated to him.
Entitled “Ikko Tanaka Posters 1980-2002” and running through 11th May, the event marks the 10th anniversary of Tanaka's death.
Born in 1930 in Nara City, Tanaka studied art at the Kyoto City School of Fine Arts.
During the ‘50s, while he was employed as a textile designer with the Kanegafuchi Spinning Co. in Kyoto (1950–52) and after he moved to the Sankei Shinbun Press inTokyo (he worked here as graphic designer until 1957), Tanaka assimilated the Bauhaus design tradition.
In 1960 he co-founded the Nippon Design Centre in Tokyo with Yusaku Kamekura, and three years later he established his own studio, the Tanaka Design Atelier in Tokyo (in the mid-70s the atelier changed its name into Ikko Tanaka Design Studio).
The recipient of many awards, Tanaka became particularly famous for combining Japanese traditional motifs - such as landscapes, the Noh theatre, masks and calligraphy - with Western modernism and Western styles of typography.
Throughout his career Tanaka designed a bit of everything from posters to logos and books.
Among his most famous works there are the logos for the History Pavilion displays at the Expo ’70 in Osaka, for the Expo '85 in Tsukuba and for the World City Expo Tokyo '96.
The graphic designer also worked for fashion designers such as Hanae Mori and Issey Miyake, curating and designing exhibitions for various museums in Japan and for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (some of you may remember the 1980 exhibition "Japan Style" at the V&A).
Tanaka also created beautiful posters for theatrical performances and in particular for Noh theatre shows.
In the early ‘80s Tanaka developed with interior designer and founder of Tokyo-based design firm Super Potato Takashi Sugimoto and marketing consultant Kazuko Koike the concept behind the Mujirushi Ryohin company, better known as Muji (in Japanese this expression means “no-brand quality goods”) and selling minimalist pieces, from interior design objects to basic garments. Tanaka provided ideas and prototypes for Muji and also worked as its art director until 2001.
Muji's products were and are still based on that perfect combination between traditional Japanese aesthetic and high-quality modern design.
The exhibition – the second one dedicated to Tanaka in the last few years (the first one, organised in 2010, was a retrospective of works taken from the “Ikko Tanaka Archives” and mainly featured art and posters created between 1953 and 1979) includes Tanaka's works from 1980 until death in 2002.
During this period of time the artist established himself as a well-known poster designer.
He produced around this time some of his best and most famous artworks, such as the “Nihon Buyo” poster (1981) for the Asian Performing Arts Institute.
In the latter colour planes form the abstract and expressive portrait of a traditional Japanese theatrical character.
As the years passed Tanaka became one of the most popular and recognised Japanese graphic artists designer in the Western world and, while not many of us may be so lucky to see the exhibition currently on in Japan, rediscovering him through books and old magazines may prove inspirational for many people working in the creative industries.
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So thoroughly nourishing and yummily satisfying to view your blog today..looks amazing and creative!
Posted by: Seo Services | May 02, 2012 at 07:15 AM
"The year 2012 marks the tenth anniversary of Ikko Tanaka’s passing, who is one of the greatest Japanese graphic designers in its history. (...)
Posted by: get rid of a pimple fast | June 07, 2012 at 02:57 PM