With Intellect and Humor: The Metal Sculptures of Yoshikuni Iida

2024/05/14

A large metal sculpture towers at the entrance of the library on the Mita Campus. Anyone who has used the library must have seen it. Despite its massive size, its form reflects its surroundings and feels light rather than imposing, with petals that sway in strong winds. This is "Petals of Knowledge" (1982), a work by the sculptor Yoshikuni Iida (1923-2006), who is known for leaving behind many large-scale outdoor stainless steel sculptures. While a student at Keio University, Iida was called up for military service in mainland China. After returning to school, he graduated from what is now the Faculty of Letters with a major in aesthetics and art history. Having painted since his days in the old-system middle school, Iida aspired to be a painter and entered Tokyo University of the Arts in 1949 to study in Ryuzaburo Umehara's studio. However, he later studied sculpture under Fazzini while studying abroad in Rome and began his career as a sculptor. After returning to Japan from a stay of over ten years in Europe, Iida engaged in vigorous artistic activities.

In his outdoor sculptures, Iida's works give a light impression through clear forms, movement, and polished mirror surfaces. In his indoor works, however, he used materials like lead in addition to stainless steel to contrast metal textures, while applying colored ropes to create intellectual forms that integrated color and language through his own unique logic. This work also belongs to that series, but because it is a small piece, only a single yellow rope hangs from the edge of the side to the base. There is an indescribable sense of humor in its form and the way the rope is positioned. In fact, the wide oval part is placed gently in a groove in the base, and if touched, it sways like a cradle.

The connection through Iida's paintings, which graced the covers of Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press) for eleven years starting in 2003, is also unforgettable. Last year marked the 100th anniversary of Iida's birth, and this year, under the label "IIDA101," omnibus-style related exhibitions are being held at museums associated with him, such as the Meguro Museum of Art and the Ashikaga Museum of Art. The Keio University Art Center (KUAC), which manages materials related to Iida, also plans to hold the exhibition "Yoshikuni Iida: Landscapes of Time" (May 27–July 26) starting in late May. Centering on materials related to the "International Iron and Steel Sculpture Symposium" leading up to the 1970 World Expo—where Iida demonstrated his skills as a producer—the exhibition will also touch upon his relationship with Keio University, including his connection to Junzaburo Nishiwaki, whom Iida respected and admired. We hope you will encounter Yoshikuni Iida at the venue.

(Yoko Watanabe, Vice Director of Keio Museum Commons / Professor at Keio University Art Center (KUAC))