Akio Nagasawa Gallery (Ginza, Aoyama) is pleased to announce the opening of two exhibitions of works by Iwao Yamawaki and Michiko Yamawaki at Ginza and Aoyama respectively.

Husband and wife, Iwao and Michiko Yamawaki both studied design at Bauhaus in Germany in 1930. At the art and design school headed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, they took classes in design theory under Josef Albers and Wassily Kandinsky. When Bauhaus was about to close during the rise of Nazism, they returned to Japan in 1932, where Iwao began to work as an architect, and Michiko as a textile designer. In addition to their artistic activities, both of them established a reputation also for their educational achievements training younger generations.

Shown in the Iwao Yamawaki exhibition (at Ginza) are photographs of architecture and interior design, classes at Bauhaus, and students’ portraits, all shot while in Germany. The Michiko Yamawaki exhibition (at Aoyama) features photos of pre-war architecture in the Ginza district, along with street snaps, taken after the couple’s return to Japan. Both exhibitions abundantly showcase the design sensibility and theory that the two of them have picked up during their time at Bauhaus, generally known as a cradle of modern design, and the aesthetic sense they developed from there.

We look forward to your visit!