Sheep’s Afternoon, binding by Ohie Toshio, poems by Shiraishi Kazuko, etchings by Suzanne Treister, 1996, leather-bound book with slipcase and chemise, LACMA, gift of Ohie Toshio
The East Asian Art Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art invites the public to a Japanese artist talk on Sunday, Oct. 21
France to Japan: Nativizing the Leather-bound Book
A talk by bookbinder Ohie Toshio
Sunday, October 21, 3 pm
Dorothy Collins Brown auditorium at Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Free, tickets required. For tickets call, (323) 857-6010 or go to www.lacma.org Complimentary parking will be available in the lot at the corner of Spaulding Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard
Bookbinding artist Ohie Toshio is an exemplar of the long Japanese tradition of adopting and adapting foreign art forms to suit local Japanese taste.
Ohie first introduced the practice of French-style bookbinding to Japan in 1974 after studying in France for five years, mastering courses in production of both one-of-a-kind luxury bindings and the creation of multiples through small publication runs.
Virtually unique in Japan for making French-style bookbinding his profession, Ohie is a rarity in the larger world, as this meticulous art dwindles to a few serious practitioners after 600 years as a viable art form.
As shown in the books currently on display in the LACMA exhibition Ohie Toshio and the Perfection of the Japanese Book, Ohie’s work utilizes Japanese avant-garde, Arts and Crafts, and Aesthetic movement styles, as well as abstract design and visual quotes from bookbinding history—all to suit books with an equally wide array of content.
In this presentation, the artist will discuss his techniques of French bookbinding, his precise selection of materials, and his collaborations with Japanese graphic designers, printmakers, photographers, and calligraphers. The lecture will be translated.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. www.lacma.org