Art

Yasuki Hiramatsu, the famous metal smith for jewelry was born in Osaka, Japan in 1926 and currently lives in Tokyo, Japan. He obtained his graduation in 1952 from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts  Music. Having experienced military life as a student soldier during World War II, Hiramatsu became acutely sensitive to the challenges of life. Wishing to create something truly valuable to human life, he had focused his efforts on producing crafts and jewelry that, through their use, bring joy and happiness into everyday life. He had a prestigious career as an educator and has been Professor Emeritus at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He has also been the Director of the Japan Jewelry Designers Association. He actively promoted interactions with other countries, which won him a lot of international recognition. In 1994, he became the first non-European winner of the award presented to an outstanding foreign artist in the field of metal working by the German association for the promotion of precious metal art. Hiramatsu hammered pieces of 23-karat gold into thin sheets, produced crinkles by folding and bending and fashioned them into simple forms. Metals are generally considered heavy and hard, but he handled these materials like paper to create clearly defined forms that bring out unprecedented beauty and gentleness in the metal

1.
Yasuki Hiramatsu is a pioneer of contemporary jewelry in Japan. He has explored and re-interpreted traditional metalworking skills in order to create modern art. Hiramatsus works radiate simplicity, purity and strength. Concentrating on textures, form and light, his pieces capture an inner beauty and warmth that seem to come alive as light gently reflects across the surface. His jewelries show not only the softness and warmth of the metal by using more gold and silver than regular jewelry but also the shapes he creates. His innovative skills and capabilities made him to be internationally acclaimed as a leading artist in postwar Japan, especially in the field of jewelry. Yasuki says that I consider the metals like living things when I use them. When I make a piece, I play, worry, struggle with it and encourage it.

2.
Throughout Hiramatsus distinguished career, he has conducted several solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, workshops and lectures. His works are available in several public collections and he possesses several awards. He took part in several projects organizedfunded by the culturebase.net partner institutions too. His solo and group exhibitions used to showcase a series of his representative jewelry work alongside various other items such as vases, paperweights and even crowns. Although his forms are simple, there is always an underlying sense of glamour. These exhibitions provided viewers with an opportunity to take a look back at Hiramatsus career that spans half a century 3.
The complete list of his Yasuki Hiramatsus works, achievements and awards from 4 are given below.

AWARDS AND PRIZES
1952-1957 Twice awarded prizes from the Living Industrial Arts Institute, Tokyo, Japan 1969 Gold Prize at 3rd Craft Center Japan 1970 Prize at the Japan New Craft Exhibition, Tokyo 1990 Created a present for the emperors mother to bestow on the empress on her enthronement 1991 41st Craft Award in Excellence awarded by the Japanese Government Ministry of Education 1994 First non-European to be awarded the Ring of Goldsmiths from Gellschaft fur Goldschmiedekunst1995 Awarded Contribution to Design Promotion by the Japanese Government Ministry of International
Trade and Industry 1996 Awared Der Baycrischen Staatspreis by the Bayern Government Ministry, Germany1997 Awared Kunii Kitaro Prize by Japan Industrial Art Foundation.SOLO EXHIBITION1978 Galerie am Graben, Wien, Austria 1990 Electrum Gallery, London 1993 Professor Yasuki Hiramatsu Retirement Exhibition, Tokyo national University of Fine Arts and Music 1994 STUDIO TON BERENDS, Den Haag, Holland
1995 LUISE SMIT, Amsterdam, Holland 1996 Galerij Sofie Lachaert, Gent, Belgium 1997 Magari, Barcelona, Spain Galerij Sofie Lachaert, Antwerpen, Belgium 2006 Gallery HANAIRO, Anraku-ji (temple), Kyoto 2008 Crafts Gallery, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.GROUPE EXHIBITION1950-54 Exhibited six times at the Imperial Academy Exhibition, Tokyo 1952-57 Accepted siw times for the Exhibition Modern Living Industrial Arts 1960-94 The Japan New Craft Exhibition, Tokyo 1964-90 The Japan Jewellery Exhibition, Tokyo 1964-70 Exhibited six times at the Munchen International Special Show, Form and Quality1966 The World Jewellery Exhibition, International Goldschmiedkunst, Aalen by invitation, Germany 1968-70 Exhibited at the Jewellery Exhibition, Carrara in Italy, by Invitation 1974 the Basel Fair Special Exhibition Switzeland by invitation 1976 Aurea 76 Biennale delle Arti orafe in Firenze, Italy by invitation 1980Schmuck International Wien Japan Style Victoria and Alber Museum, London 1981 The 2nd International Gold and Silver Trade Fair of Arezzo Arezzo, Italy 1982 Sieben Japaner at Atelier Mattar, Koln 1987 Schmuck International Linz
1991 Four-man exhibition, Galerie Slavik, Wien 1995 The Contemporary Japanese Jewellery Exhibition, Museum of Decorative Arts, Gent Belgium 1996 Schmuck im Schloss Salzburg, Austria 1997 Japanese Contemporariws Japanese Jewellery Exhibition, Lesley Craze Gallery, London 2000 Thought on Contemporary Vessels UTSUWA The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo 2001 Mikromegas Galeria Fur Angewandte Kunst Munchen 102 Contemporary Japanese jewellery Craft Council Gallery, London Contemporary jewellery in Japan Goldschmiede Schneider-Rappel 2002 From the Rising Sun Vizo-Gallery, Brussel, Belgium 2006 Gold in Art Painting, sculpture, craft and jewellery Kushiro City Museum of Art Trasfiguration Japanese art jewellery today  Craft Gallery, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo 2007 Tokyo national University of Fine Arts and Music the 120 anniversary NOW of the Japanese Arts - Paintings Sculptures Crafts - Mitsukosi, Tokyo
2008 A Japanese Dialogue, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh.WORKSHOPS AND LECTURES
1980 Bayerische Akademie der Schonen Kunste, Munchen
1990 Royal College of Art, masterclass workshop, London.

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.Tokyo national University of Fine Arts and Music, Tokyo.
Imperial Household Agency, Tokyo.
Pforzheim Schmuckmuseum, Germany.
Royal College of Art, London.
Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Royal Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
Museum fur Kunstandwerk, Hamburg, Germany.CURRENT POSTS INCLUDE
Member of the Japan Craft Design Association.Honoured member of the Japan Jewellery Designers Association
Honoured member of the Mitglied von der Gesellschaft fur Goldschmiedekunst,
Professor Emeritus, Tokyo national University of Fine Arts and Music.

PICTURES OF SOME OF HIS WORKS
Following are some of the works of Yasuki Hiramatsu from 5 which portray his capabilities of handling metal. Some more works of Yasuki Hiramatsu can be seen at 6 and 7.