Tanabe Chikuunsai IV

Tanabe was born to one of Japan’s most prestigious bamboo pedigrees. Like his father, Tanabe Chikuunsai III, he attended art school and earned a degree in sculpture. He is the chosen son to become Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, representing the fourth generation of bamboo artists in his family.

From a young age, he gravitated towards bamboo, making his first piece when he was only 7 or 8. He continues to work alongside his esteemed father in the elder’s Osaka studio, taking brief breaks in Beppu to improve his proficiency.

His signature is organic sculptural forms made with tiger bamboo and other natural materials. Although only 31, he has received many accolades, including the Mayor’s Award at the Sakai City Art Exhibition in 2001 and the Osaka Craft Exhibition Choice Award at the All Kansai Art Exhibition in 2004. He is also active outside Japan, exhibiting and demonstrating in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Korea. His work is housed at the Seattle Art Museum and Philadelphia Museum of Art. Recently Lloyd Cotsen, the former CEO of the Neutrogena Corporation and a visionary collector of Japanese bamboo, donated one of Tanabe’s baskets to the Long Beach Museum of Art.

BIO/CV

b. 1973, Osaka, Japan

Education

1991

Graduated from the art department of Osaka Craft High School
1999

Graduated from Tokyo Art University, majored in sculpture
2000

Graduated from Oita Prefecture Bamboo Craft Training Center

Exhibitions & Accolades

1999

Rookie Award, Newcomer Exhibition in Sakai City
2000

Labor Ministry Award, All Japan Technical Exhibition
Oita Governor Award, Bamboo Craft Exhibition
Family Exhibition, Cortland Jessup Gallery, Boston, MA
2001

Sakai Mayor Award, Sakai Art Exhibition
2002

Yomiuri Television Award, All Kansai Art Exhibition
Y-G Art Exhibition, Irohani Gallery
Bridge Exhibition, Florence Lynch Gallery, NY
Solo Exhibition, Cortland Jessup Gallery, NY
Bamboo Works Exhibition, Osaka Modern Art Center
2003

Solo Exhibition, Wacol Gallery, Tokyo
BRIDGE Exhibition, Sakai City Hall and Wellington Art Hall
SPOERRI Exhibition, Volkerkunde Museum, University of Zurich
Japan-Holland Cultural Exhibition, Laikus National Museum, Leiden University
2004

Exhibit and Workshop at the Hand Workshop Art Center, Richmond, VA
2006

Demonstration at Seattle Art Museum, WA
Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Art, Grinnell College, IA and Chicago Cultural Center, IL
The Tanabe Family: Four Generations of Bamboo Artists, Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute, Hanford, CA
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
2007

The Next Generation, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
2008

The Tanabe Lineage: Four Generations, TAI Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters, Japan Society, New York, NY
2009

Many Shapes of Bamboo III, Oita Prefectural Art Museum
2010

Received the Bavarian States Prize
Modern Masters, Handwerkskammer for Munich und Oberbayern, Munich
2014

ZEN: Tanabe Shochiku & WakamiyaTakashi, TAI Modern, Santa Fe, NM
Demo, Ruth Funk Textile Center, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL
Workshop, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL
2015

Solo Exhibition, Mingei Japanese Arts, Paris
The 44th Japan Traditional Crafts Kinki Exhibition / Traditional Japanese Crafts Kinki Prize
Bamboo × Lacquer, Takashimaya Art gallery, Osaka and Tokyo
MODERN TWIST Contemporary Japanese Bamboo Art, Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts, Melbourne, FL
Bamboo installation Beyond connection, French guest house, La Celle-Saint-Cloud
Takashimaya Art Prize
2016

Solo Exhibition/ Bamboo installation GODAI, Guimet Museum, Paris
Craft Arts: Innovation of Tradition and Avant-Garde, and the Present Day, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Biennale des Antiquaires , Grand Palais, Paris
The 63rd Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition / Japan Crafts Association Encouragement Prize
2017

Masterpieces of Japanese Bamboo Art, TAI Modern at Joan B Mirviss LTD, New York, NY
Solo Exhibition/ Celebration of becoming Chikuunsai 4th, Osaka/Tokyo
Bamboo-Fiber built Japan, Japan House, Sao Paulo
Japanese Bamboo Art: The Abbey Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
2018

Fendre L’ Air, Musee du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac, Paris

Museum Collections

Guimet Museum, Paris
Japan Imperial Household Agency, Tokyo
Long Beach Museum of Art, CA
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Morikami Museum, Miami, FL
Museo Nacional de Arte, Bolivia
Museum Fine Art, Boston, MA
Peruano-Japonés Centro Cultural, Peru
Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
San Francisco Asian Art Museum, CA
Seattle Museum of Art, WA
The British Museum, London
The Museum of Fine Arts Gifu
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
The Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art, Hanford, CA
Victoria and Albert Museum, London