Matsui Kōsei

(1927-2003)

Although a student of the glazing expert Tamura, MATSUI KŌSEI was captivated by unglazed neriage (marbleized colored-clay) and became the seminal figure in its revival. As a priest at the Gessō-ji Temple in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Matsui studied numerous examples of ancient Chinese ceramics, allowing him to perfect his neriage technique. Far surpassing these historic precedents, Matsui created original abstract and geometric surface patterns, often with a rough-hewn texture, using a variety of techniques. His research and 123 intense studies in this difficult process culminated in worldwide recognition for his tradition-steeped vessels, so much so that he was designated a Living National Treasure in 1993.

Selected Public Collections:

Art Institute of Chicago, IL
Brooklyn Museum, NY
Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Chinese Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
Foreign Ministry of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
Herbert F. Johnson Museum, Ithaca, NY
Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, Japan
Hokkaidō Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo, Japan
Ibaraki Prefectural Art Museum, Japan
Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Japan
Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, IN
Japan Foundation, New York, NY
Kure Municipal Museum of Art, Japan
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
Portland Art Museum, OR
Saint Louis Art Museum, MO
Seto City Museum, Japan
Shiseidō Museum, Kakegawa, Japan
University of Michigan Art Library, Ann Arbor, MI
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT