opening on Saturday, May 12, and for the rest of the month until May 31, more than three dozen framed works, both limited-edition lithographs and original sumi paintings by Toko Shinoda (b. 1913,) the Tolman Collection's star artist, will be on exhibition and for sale at the Tolman Collection's Shiba Daimon Gallery. They are prints and paintings made especially for our gallery which have fallen through the cracks, so to speak, having been stored in boxes which were not clearly marked for identification and by overcrowded storage space conditions.
Our gallery has held frequent exhibitions of this famous woman artist's work since 1977. Widely collected and universally known where ever art lovers are to be found, the works of Ms. Shinoda always stand out and are the most sought after artwork at our own galleries in Tokyo, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong. They are also the most popular artwork that the many galleries, and private dealers with whom we work buy on a continuing basis. The Tolman Collection's usual exhibitions of Shinoda pieces have been "happyo-kai“ or publication exhibitions releasing exclusive new works as they have been printed. We have also staged various small retrospective-like showings featuring some particular aspects of her work such as calligraphy. But this exhibit is a different type; the works to be shown this time are those that have been framed and storage in our archives which, I must admit have not been as orderly as they should have been.
To offer more explanation of this show's content, one could say that some of the lithographs are those of which several copies of the same print might have originally been framed for exhibition. At the conclusion of that exhibit, those pieces have been put into storage. Then with the passage of time and the crowded, limited and inaccessible storage space available to us, they have been overlooked for some time. While other unframed copies of these works sold briskly, these pieces were forgotten. The fact, in many cases, that these already-framed pieces have become the last copies, is because they were not shown, and instead allowed to languish in storage, unidentified. A recent, thorough cleaning of our gallery, to our surprise and delight, unearthed these pieces and is the reason for this exhibition. Many of the works are of very unusual size and therefore perhaps more suitable for office than for home use in Japan. However, those soon to return to their home countries where spaces are ordinarily larger than here in Tokyo, may wish to view these large pieces and consider them for use there.
All the works are properly framed and in perfect condition. Since they range in date from as far back as 1964
the exhibition provides an overlook of the artists accomplishments. Although we will hold an official opening on Saturday, May 12, the works are now hung and available for viewing without appointment for those especially
eager to see them.
