Akihiro Maeta

• Designation
  Living National Treasure (Important Intangible Cultural Property for White porcelain)
• Category
  Ceramics
• Techniques
  White porcelain
• Born
  1954 -
• Based in
  Tottori
• Membership
  Full member, Japan Kogei Association
  Director of Japan Kogei Association
  Chairman of Japan Kogei Association Ceramics Department
  Visiting Professor at Osaka University of Arts
  Visiting Professor at Kanazawa College of Art

About the Artist

A feeling of softness and tension both exist in his artwork

Akihiro Maeta, designated as Living National Treasure for white porcelain, makes his artwork based on traditional methods of ceramics, but seeks for unique forms. He always works on his pieces as if he is challenging the clay, and puts what he feels from the plain white clay into shape using the potter's wheel. His artwork that stands with a dignified look, yet at the same time has a feeling of softness, is created in this way. His artwork that expresses exactly what he feels, is highly evaluated, and is held by many art museums within Japan and abroad.

Biography

• 1954
  Born in Kawahara Town, Yazu County, Tottori Prefecture
• 1977
  Graduated from Osaka University of Arts, Crafts Department, Ceramic Course
• 1979
  Selected for 5th Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition (selected on a consecutive basis from this year onward)
• 1983
  Selected for the 30th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (selected 23 times from this year onward)
• 1985
  Solo exhibition at Nihombashi Mitsukoshi main store (7 solos exhibition held from this year onward)
• 1991
  Selected for the Fletcher Challenge International Ceramics Exhibition
• 1992
  Invited to submit to Sanyo and Sanin District Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition II:Tradition and Avant-Garde, Higashihiroshima City Museum of Art
• 1996
  Invited to submit to Sanyo and Sanin District Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition III:Tradition and Avant-Garde, Higashihiroshima City Museum of Art
  Invited to submit to Special Exhibition "Rin" The Beauty of Contemporary Ceramics, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shiga Prefecture
  Invited to submit to Special Exhibition "New Expression in Porcelain:Developments in the 1990s," the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
• 1998
  Selected for the 5th International Contemporary Porcelain Triennial, Switzerland
• 1999
  Invited to submit to 100 Selections of Contemporary Japanese Craft Exhibition at Mitsukoshi Etoile Museum, Paris
  Invited to submit to Sanyo and Sanin District Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition IV:Tradition and Avant-Garde, Higashihiroshima City Museum of Art
• 2000
  Invited to submit to "Exploring Porcelain Exhibition 2000” at Nihombashi Mitsukoshi
• 2001
  Invited to submit to "Eternal White" Exhibition The Japan Cultural Institute in Rome, Italy [sponsored by The Japan Foundation]
  Maeta Akihiro & Isezaki Jun Two Potters Exhibition in New York
• 2002
  Invited to submit to the International Asia-Pacific Contemporary Ceramics Invitational Exhibition at New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan
  Invited to submit to Contemporary Japanese Crafts:Materials and Way of Formative Thinking Exhibition, Petronas Gallery, Malaysia [sponsored by Japan Foundation]; National Gallery, Indonesia [sponsored by The Japan Foundation]
  Invited to submit to the Legacy of Modern Ceramic Art, the Evolutions of Japanese Ceramic Art, Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu Prefecture
  Maeta Akihiro ―White Porcelain Genealogy― at Gallery Kochukyo, Nihombashi, Tokyo
• 2003
  Invited to submit to Contemporary Master Ceramists of Western Japan, Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum
  Invited to submit to White Porcelain and Celadon, Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum
  Invited to submit to Japan Traditional Art Crafts 50th Anniversary Exhibition “Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan” at Nihombashi Mitsukoshi
• 2006
  Invited to submit to the Quintessence of Modern Japanese Ceramics, Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum
  Asian Ceramic Delta―Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan
  Evaluator at the 53rd Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2007
  Invited to submit to Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan:Celebrating Fifty Years of the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition, British Museum, UK
  Evaluator at the 54th JapanTraditional Kōgei Exhibition
  Received the Medal with Purple Ribbon
  Invited to submit to The Crafts Gallery 30th Anniversary Exhibition II The Power of Crafts:Outlook for the 21st Century, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
• 2008
  Submitted to Masuda Mitsuo and 24 Craftsmen Exhibition, Nihombashi Mitsukoshi
  Invited to submit to the Mitsukoshi Art Department 100th Anniversary:Nouvelles Ailes Art of Today Exhibition, Nihombashi Mitsukoshi
• 2009
  Tobi Art Fair 2009:－An Ode to Light & Shadow－ Imaizumi Imaemon & Maeta Akihiro, Tokyo Art Club
  Special Exhibition “Maeta Akihiro Light and Shade of the White Porcelain,” Tottori Prefectural Museum
• 2010
  Evaluator at the 57th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  Invited to submit to 3rd Musee Tomo Prize Exhibition, Musee Tomo
  Invited to submit to Special Exhibition “About the Tea Ceremony - A Viewpoint on Contemporary Kôgei,” Crafts Gallery, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
  Maeta Akihiro & Kubota Atsuko Exhibition, Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art
• 2011
  Submitted to Collect 2011, Saatchi Gallery, UK
  Evaluator at the 58th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2012
  Invited to submit to Vallauris Ceramics Biennale 2012, Picasso Museum, France
• 2013
  Submitted to 8th Paramita Museum Ceramic Art Grand Prize Exhibition
  Evaluator at the 60th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  Designated as Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property for white porcelain
  Invited to submit to "From Crafts to Kogei:In Commemoration of the 60th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition," Crafts Gallery, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
• 2014
  Submitted to "The Present of Living National Treasures", Heiseikan, Tokyo National Museum
  Submitted to TEFAF Maastricht 2014, Netherlands
  Judge at the 10th International Ceramics Festival Mino
  Invited to submit to "Beauty of KOGEI: Art Crafts in Japan", Singapore
  Evaluator at the 61st Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2015
  Submitted to TEFAF Maastricht 2015, Netherlands
  Judge and evaluator at the 62nd Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  Submitted to "Treasures of the World from The British Museum", National Museum of Singapore
• 2016
  Submitted to TEFAF Maastricht 2016, Netherlands
  The 1st "Creation of Kogei - Living National Treasures" Exhibition at Wako Hall, Ginza, Tokyo
  Judge and evaluator at the 63rd Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  Invited to submit to "Kogei (Modern Crafts) and the Tea Ceremony II" at The National Museum of Modern Art ,Tokyo Crafts Museum
• 2017
  Submitted to TEFAF Maastricht 2017, Netherlands
  The 2nd "Creation of Kogei - Living National Treasures" Exhibition at Wako Hall, Ginza, Tokyo
  Submitted to the Japan Kogei Association Chugoku Branch 60th Anniversary Exhibition
  Judge and evaluator at the 64th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2018
  Submitted to TEFAF Maastricht 2018, Netherlands
  Maeta Akihiro Hakuji Exhibition, Takashimaya, Osaka
  The 3rd "Creation of Kogei - Living National Treasures" Exhibition at Wako Hall, Ginza, Tokyo
  Judge and evaluator at the 65th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2019
  Submitted to TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Netherlands
  The 4th "Creation of Kogei - Living National Treasures" Exhibition at Wako Hall, Ginza, Tokyo
  Maeta Akihiro Hakuji Exhibition, Tenmaya Okayama Main Store
  Judge and evaluator at the 66th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2020
  Judge at the 67th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  "Kogei 2020 - The Art of Crafting Beauty from Nature", Tokyo National Museum
  Maeta Akihiro Hakuji Exhibition, Takashimaya, Osaka
  The Japan Ceramic Society Award, Gold Award Exhibition at Gallery Kochukyo, Nihombashi, Tokyo
• 2021
  National Living Treasure Maeta Akihiro Special Hakuji Exhibition at MOA Museum of Art, Atami, Shizuoka
  The 6th "Creation of Kogei - Living National Treasures" Exhibition at Wako Hall, Ginza, Tokyo
  Judge at the 68th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  Living National Treasure Maeta Akihiro Hakuji Exhibition, Ichibata Department Store, Matsue, Shimane

Awards

• 1983
  Received an Honorable Mention at the 38th Shinsho Kogei Exhibition
• 1984
  Received an Honorable Mention at the 39th Shinsho Kogei Exhibition
• 1985
  Received the Excellence Award at the 2nd Tanabe Museum of Art “Arts of the Tea Ceremony” Exhibition
  Received the Shinsho Incentive Award at the 40th Anniversary Shinsho Kogei Exhibition
• 1986
  Received the Affiliate Award at the 41st Shinsho Kogei Exhibition
• 1989
  Received the Tottori Governor Award at the 32nd Chūgoku Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 1991
  Received the Mainichi Shimbun Award at the 11th Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition
  Received the Tottori Governor Award at the 34th Chūgoku Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 1992
  Received the Tottori Governor Award at the 35th Chūgoku Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 1993
  Received the Tomimoto Award at the 48th Shinsho Kogei Exhibition
• 1994
  Received the Kaneshige Toyo Award at the 37th Chūgoku Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 1997
  Received the Excellence Award at the 10th MOA Mokichi Okada Award Exhibition
• 1998
  Received the 4th Energia Fine Arts Prize (from the Energia Culture and Sports Foundation)
• 1999
  Received the Tottori City Cultural Award
• 2000
  Received the Asahi Shimbun Award at the 47th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  Received the Inagaki Award at the 55th Shinsho Kogei Exhibition
• 2003
  Received the Grand Award at the 20th Anniversary Tanabe Museum of Art “Arts of the Tea Ceremony” Exhibition (Nihombashi Mitsukoshi, Tanabe Museum of Art)
  Received the Bronze Award at the 2nd Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale (Icheon, South Korea)
  Received the 50th Anniversary Award at the 50th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2004
  Received the Japan Ceramic Society Award for the year 2003 (from the Japan Ceramic Society)
  Received the 61st Chugoku Bunka Award (from The Chugoku Shimbun)
• 2005
  Received the 60th Anniversary Grand Prize at the 60th Anniversary Shinsho Kogei Exhibition
• 2010
  Received the Tottori Cultural Achievement Award
• 2012
  Received the Excellence Award at the Tanabe Museum of Art “Arts of the Tea Ceremony” Exhibition (Tanabe Museum of Art)
• 2020
  Received the Japan Ceramic Society Award for the year 2019 (from the Japan Ceramic Society)

Public Collections

• The British Museum
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
• Imperial Household Agency
• Agency for Cultural Affairs
• MOA Museum of Art
• The Japan Foundation
• Tottori Prefectural Museum
• The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park
• Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum
• Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu
• Higashihiroshima City Museum of Art
• Tanabe Museum of Art
• Yakushiji Temple
• Sano Toseki Art Museum
• Osaka University of Arts
• Everson Museum of Art
• Ariana Museum (Musée Ariana)
• Icheon World Ceramics Center
• Auckland Art Gallery
• Indianapolis Museum of Art
• Jingu Art Museum
• Gitter-Yelen Foundation