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Biography

前田昭博 Akihiro
Maeta
Akihiro
Maeta

Akihiro
Maeta
Profile
  • 1954 Born in Tottori, Tottori Prefecture, Japan
  • Lives and works in Tottori
  • 01 Exhibitions More
  • 02 Awards More
  • 03 Public Collections More

About
the Artist
About
the Artist

An influential figure in the world of Japanese ceramics, Akihiro Maeta (1954- ) creates elegant and minimal sculptures from white porcelain that are deeply inspired by the vessel form. Minimalism in ceramics can be easily mistaken for an inability to decorate or experiment. For Maeta, this is far from truth. The artist’s trademark landscapes are, in fact, the simplest of silhouettes coalesced with the purity of white, and his serene works reveal Maeta’s unique ability to give birth to riveting, simple and alluring beauty that is shorn of excess.
Having been collected by 22 public institutions throughout the world, in particular the Musée Ariana in Geneva, the British Museum in London, and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Maeta is considered to be one of the leading ceramic sculptors of his generation. Subsequently, he has been awarded the Purple Medal of Honour in 2007 by the Government of Japan, and was designated a Living National Treasure by the Emperor of Japan in 2013.