【Kan Yasuda in Italy vol.2】 Solo Exhibition in Florence in 2000

Kan Yasuda’s solo exhibition “Sculpture in the City” was held in Florence, the city of flowers, in 2000. Twelve sculptures of marble and bronze were on view in a total of eight places, such as Piazza della Signoria, the cloister of Uffizi, Piazza di Santa Croce and Giardino di Boboli. As suggested by the exhibition’s title, the entire city was the venue.

A press conference was held prior to the exhibition opening in the Salone dei Cinquecento ‘Hall of the Five Hundred’ in the Palazzo Vecchio. Built in 1496, Salone dei Cinquecento was the chamber for the Grand Council of the Republic in Florence. The press conference had a solemn atmosphere, surrounded by tension.

At the conference, a local newspaper reporter asked a harsh question. “Is it meaningful to exhibit contemporary abstract sculptures in Florence, which is full of masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s David?”

With Kan Yasuda at a loss for words, Mr. Antonio Paolucci, one of the organizers, answered, “One can feel Yasuda’s works without any knowledge. The 21st century is the age for sensibility.” He also said, “Many people tend to read just captions, not looking at the artworks themselves in art museums. Visitors will be reaching out their hands to, wanting to sit on, and appreciating Yasuda’s works no matter if they are aware of who made those works, when they were made or where they came from.”

Mr. Paolucci was the Head of the Art and Cultural Endowments’ Office of Firenze-Pistoia-Prato. This professional title may not sound familiar in Japan. Any cultural property of the area is not allowed to be even moved without the Head of the Art and Cultural Endowments’ Office’s permission. This position may represent one of the characteristics of the country Italy, which appreciates art and culture.

As if demonstrating Mr. Paolucci’s words, Yasuda’s works that were installed in several places in the city blended into the surrounding environment and were enjoyed by many people.

This exhibit showed the attitude of the city of Florence striving to create new values and its strong statement for generating Rebirth -Renaissance- not depending on history. That is also clear from these comments in the exhibition catalog:

In a perfectly natural way, it encourages a reflection on the contribution that contemporary art can bring to the improvement and the revitalization of the metropolitan area. (Rosa Maria di George, Councillor for Culture of Florence Council)

Let us hope that such occasions which, up until now, have been few and far between, will become a tradition, a wonderful yearly event, and give us the chance to compare the great masterpieces of the past and historic architectural spaces with the art of our times. (Mario Augusto Lolli Ghetti, Head of the Architectonic and Environmental Endowments’ Office of Firenze-Pistoia-Prato)

The reputation is obvious from the fact that three of Yasuda’s TENPI were permanently installed in the Giardino di Boboli after the exhibition. The city of Florence noted, “The permanent installation of the abstract sculptures in the Giardino di Boboli is the first and the last. The garden was made 500 years ago, therefore we guarantee that the works will be kept another 500 years.” Yasuda again deeply felt the big hearts of Italian people.

Many of the works exhibited were sent to Japan afterwards. Some has been permanently installed; MAMU in the Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai, MYOMU at JR Sapporo station, ISHINKI in the Hokkaido Governor's Official Residence and TENSEN in the Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum. We hope you enjoy those works by Kan Yasuda in Japan that were also exhibited in the open air in Florence.