Kojiro AKAGI speaks from 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 47 in the attached videoconference between University of Paris Diderot and the University of UCLA in California, on the subject of Museums, with Jacques Fingerhut, Office of the Prime Minister, Laura Robinson, UCLA, Marie-Amélie Anquetil, Curator of Museums. It is presented at the ART & @rt symposium by Lise Cormery art & @rt at the University of Paris Diderot.
AKAGI evokes his exhibition "Paris je t'aime : 40 ans à Paris" organized by the Curator Jean-Marc Leri of the Carnavalet Museum and the Lise Cormery Gallery at the Museum of Notre Dame de Paris, Crypt Archéologique du Parvis June- November 2004, and at the Lise Cormery Gallery.
In addition, Kojiro AKAGI, a great Japanese cultural journalist, specialist of France, explains during this videoconference the difference between Japanese and French museums and French and Japanese galleries. "In Japan, department stores organize museum exhibitions and few galleries exhibit artists for free, they all charge for contemporary artists" he says.
Text of the Catalogue Raisonné 1
"The Engravings from 1974 to 1999 of Kojiro AKAGI"
Written by Lise Cormery in 1999, printed and published in 2000
MAGICAL AKAGI, MAGICAL PARIS
In 1988 I met Kojiro AKAGI in his studio. His work was displayed in international museums, but according to him no French galleries nor institutions had shown him since Paul Sonnenberg’s Gallery in 1975. Why crossing a desert during such long years without a Solo Show by a professional art Gallery ?
Is it because nowadays freehand drawing and painting, a perfect technique and achievement, are old-fashioned concepts ?
Or is it for human reasons ?
* (Historically AKAGI had Solo Shows in the very good district of Ginza, Tokyo, Japan in Muramatsu Gallery in 1959 and 1960, in Bungei-Shunjyu Gallery in 1963 and thus obtained a national Japanese scholarship to study in Paris Beaux-Arts.
Paul Sonnenberg mentioned me his ingratitude since he introduced AKAGI into Art and political institutions, he obtained him a cheap and magnificent flat and studio by the City of Paris. He was the first one to publish his prints “Le Kiosque à Paris” and “L’Arc de Triomphe”. He organized him two important Solo Shows in his gallery in 1975 and 1979, opened him all the Art doors of institutions and Art collectors in France, and obtained his major Solo Show “My Paris” in 1979 in Carnavalet Museum of Paris, thanks to Bernard de Mongolfier, Chief Curator from 1969 until 1983.
Consequently, AKAGI obtained in 1981 and in 1983 an important Solo Show in DAÏMARU Art Gallery in Tokyo and Osaka with the publishing of his book “Parallels” as well as Kobe in 1985. It was followed in 1986 and 1987 with a Solo Show by MITSUKOSHI in Osaka, Okayama, Nagoya and with an important campaign of commercial flyers for his engravings. Both DAÏMARU and MITSUKOSHI had at that time an important Museum aura and were famous and powerful international art dealers.
But if AKAGI complained to HIRAGA and Lise Cormery about his lack of success, was he really forgotten in France? Were Art institutions and collectors only devoted to uninspired speculators, rhetoricians and contemporary “media dictatorship”? After a thorough study, thanks to my Paris University Diderot PhD, it seems Akagi was helped a lot by French and Japanese institutions and by Sonnenberg, but, for human reasons there was a rupture.)
Anyhow, whatever is fashionable will be soon old-fashioned. Inspired Art takes time to grow within people’s hearts. AKAGI takes us back to timelessness and authenticity.
His Art respects my five principles that I might approximately translate from French to English : Travail Task, Temps Times, Technique, Transcendance Transcendence and Talent, Tactique Tactics.
* (Tactics are necessary “a posteriori” and not “a priori”, as it is often the case for today’s artists. It is worked once the Opus is achieved to establish an Art Lovers network, to avoid its destruction.)
This last principle had to be accomplished by AKAGI’s organization and sense of public relations and erudition. His wife was a great and important asset for him. Indeed Kayo, was always steady and hardworking so as to bring money to their home, peaceful helper and fervent admirer, she made his immense Paris dream come true.
*(In 1961 Akagi married “Kayo”, born Miss Matsuko Sakamoto, daughter of Kyoji Sakamoto and Mrs Sakamoto, born Koshio Seno. In 1962 Akagi changed his first name Hajimé for Kojiro).
AKAGI describes his life in Paris, “In Paris we are like vagabonds. We can concentrate upon our Art and remain free although poverty-stricken, without being disturbed by anyone.”
But in order to live in this exclusive, ruthless, moribund Paris, Kojiro and Kayo - like their peers or other independent people – are obliged to lead “Parallel” lives with two tasks and jobs, the first to feed their body and family, the second for their souls.
In stagnant French society as writes AKAGI they are “Salon vagabonds”. Authentic Artists and gallery owners devoted to Art have to accept the contemptuous smiles of their family and society at large, where money is the only key to success.
In spite of these difficulties AKAGI is so hardworking and clever that he is able to use the essence of his second job, as an international journalist specializing in French society, adding another “Parallel” to his Art. Each watercolor entails deep and original historical research, thus AKAGI became an historian of Paris. Thanks to him, I learn something new every day about my beloved city.
* (In 1988, as soon as I met him, Akagi belonged to the permanent group of painters of my gallery, although my art collectors and experts did not approve my choice, and I included him in my gallery 1988 Collective show “Paris je t’aime” with 5 excellent painters having their own view of Paris, Pascale Courbot, Luc Ballon, Verdet, De Souza Andrade. I wrote as an "art critique" a text "Paris je t'aime".
* (I kept organizing a Solo Show for Akagi every two years. Let’s mention the most important.
In 1990, a Solo Show in my gallery inaugurated by Bernard de Montgolfier, Chief Curator of Carnavalet Museum of Paris, Mitsukoshi Director and Daimaru Director.
The same year I showed his engravings in FIAC Fair as well as AVATI’s mezzotints and CIUHA’s engravings by Fiorenzo FALLANI, Venezia, and the engravers of “Le Bois Gravé” with Claude Bouret, Curator of the National Library.
In 1990 I took a trip all around the world during three months with my son. In our suitcases full of toys along the road, I took books of my friend artists, books on the Chinese “Stars” Group Li Shuang, Ma Desheng, AKAGI’s watercolor, AVATI’s mezzotints and CIUHA’s silkscreen by FALLANI, BIOT’s paintings in order to convince international collectors and Art dealers. The Gulf War stopped all the signature of contracts, especially with China and Hong-Kong).
* (In 1993, since Mitsukoshi settled in Paris, rue de Tilsitt, a Solo Show "Akagi's Paris" was organized for the 10th anniversary of the friendship of Paris and Tokyo. )
In 1994 I organized a new important AKAGI Solo Show in the Gallery. My dear friend, Pierre Granville, curator of Dijon Museum, wrote a text for me, although he was not too keen on Akagi’s painting and I had to cut part of his text to avoid a conflict. I emphasized mostly the part with Akagi’s nudes posing in Parisian landscapes, where, “The hand is tempted to go through the paint lace work …”
I wrote as an Art Critic «La Magie d’AKAGI La Magie de PARIS – Magical AKAGI Magical PARIS » and Paris Dayori, a Japanese magazine, published it in French and Japanese.
The show was inaugurated by Bernard de Montgolfier, Chief Curator of Carnavalet Museum of Paris, Mitsukoshi and Daimaru Directors.
For the first time, his gorgeous nudes (White oil on canvas) “Les Parisiennes”, were taken out of his studio, I had to convince him with difficulties, but Mario Avati loved the show and the pure lines of the oil paintings. At that time, I was especially fond of “Christine” and his “parallel” “The Eiffel Tower” a watercolor and a white oil on canvas, and I published them in L’ART et L’adresse and l’Agend’ART.)
Despite the times passing by, I remain fascinated by this magical Paris created under the brush of AKAGI. I now no longer look on this city the same way. With changing skies, each corner, each roof becomes a new composition.
My son Arnaud, while still a child, observed AKAGI painting outdoors four watercolors of our beloved rue de Lanneau, season after season, in spite of heat wave, rain, cold or wind. He noticed, “What is wonderful with Kojiro is that his work is not only hyper-realistic. Once it is finished, it is no longer Paris, but an AKAGI.”
But in France, as elsewhere, speculation and a signature are stronger than creation. Sincere Art Lovers, (I call them Art’changels) They are as rare and as precious as diamonds.
But it no longer matters since times is the best judge. We are no longer in a hurry the AMI Association and Friends of AKAGI will patiently remain.
Many Fine Art professors, Art students, architects and Art Lovers who are used to working only with photographs, retro-projections, acrylic and new technologies are puzzled. For them, such patience, concentration and devotion were impossible aims to achieve. As an example of AKAGI’s enormous capacity to work, he devoted 365 nights of his life to the white oil on canvas “Hotel de Ville”. Last June 1999, he fell sick with exhaustion.
Since 1963, the year where he first started working on Paris, he wakes up early in the morning, goes outdoors, observes his subject with binoculars and works freehand with just a pencil, brush and watercolor paper. One watercolor takes him about one month and a half.
He organizes his day-to-day work according to his career as a journalist, always punctual and professional.
At the end of the day, when there is no light, he goes back home where Kayo welcomes him, and after dining and resting a little bit, he works in his studio on his “parallel” oil on canvas. The oil hides another secret. Under the perfect perspective and smooth surface is hidden another painting, worked in some kind of an “impressionist” manner. Using his watercolor as a model, he continues to paint until about midnight. Then goes to bed and wakes up again in the early morning, at about three o’clock to work a few hours more. He returns to bed at around six and wakes up at eight o’clock to start “his new task of the day” as he says. A new day devoted to Paris.
From April 15, 1999 until October 15, 1999, I held an exhibition inaugurated by the Mayor of Paris, “LE PARIS d’AKAGI. A retrospective 1963-1999” in my Gallery rue de Lanneau. It was displayed again in The Town Hall of Paris 5th arrondissement few years later, when the Mayor of Paris, Tibéri, was back.
In “Parallel” to it, at the occasion of the “UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day”, in April, a signature of books on Akagi’s paintings was organized and ten shops of the street of my association AMI of rue de Lanneau and rue d’Ecosse displayed his engravings in their windows to thank AKAGI for giving so many months of his life to immortalize our historical street. A lunch was organized in Paris Town Hall where I took with me Akagi, so as to introduce him.
* (“Le Petit Prince” and “Coupe-Chou” watercolors were bought by my American friend Pat Clark living rue de Lanneau, in order to make a donation to her Pat Clark Museum in Iowa Falls Ellsworth, that will be inaugurated in 2003 in the United States. In order to keep them in France, since he wanted them for Japan, I was obliged to buy him “L’Hôtel de l’Abbé Jean Brunet, Rue d’Ecosse” and “Rue de Lanneau”, although they were very expensive. The Oil on canvas, “Le Coupe-Chou”, was bought directly from Akagi’s studio by the Japanese Ambassador in Paris.)
Let’s hope that French institutions follow his path. Until now (according to Akagi) the Finance Ministry and Art Institutions have only nagged him for free money or paintings. He has found support – this is quite usual in our country – only from abroad.
* (Kojro loves to tell me how he was surprised during a Paris Corot Show by the public reactions. Indeed, the public was surprised by the fact all paintings belonged to foreign collections, forgetting French never buy art of living artists or just signatures once they are famous. For them the State has to do everything and invest as well in art beforehand.)
Let’s hope France will change its fiscal policy of Art buying, investing only after speculators and Art Dealers have done so, many years after the death of the artists, once they are sure of the art’s “value”.
Let’s hope Institutional Curators, Finance and Culture Ministers will follow the verse of Christ, “Let the dead bury the dead” and the living help the living.
Thank you dear Kojiro and dear Kayo for being who you are. Your kind friendship and trust honor me.”
*(In 2001 a Solo Show with the 108 engravings of the Catalogue Raisonné 1 of Akagi were displayed at Lise Cormery Gallery with a signature by Akagi.)
Lise Cormery, Paris October 22, 1999.
For the Catalogue Raisonné 1 by Akagi
108 engravings by Akagi from 1974 to 1999
*Notes “Lise Cormery, Art of the Post-War Ecole de Paris (1945-1999), 2020”.
With updating following University research on Akagi for the Paris University Diderot PhD of Lise Cormery on «ART in France » in 2002.
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