A Retrospective of Jörg Schmeisser
Neverending Journeys

• Exhibition Overview
• Highlights of the Exhibition
• Structure of the Exhibition
• Exhibition Information
• Associated Events

Exhibition Overview

Jörg Schmeisser (1942-2012) was an artist who worked on a global scale.
Born in Germany, he studied in Japan and produced many of his works in Australia, where he was based.
Known as the “Printmaker of the Journey,” he travelled all over the world capturing the multitude of experiences and profound reflections that he had during this time in his etchings.

His extensive travels took him to Europe, the U.S., the Middle East, Asia and even the Antarctic.

However, Schmeisser’s subjects were not limited to landscapes of the places he visited.
Rocky hills in Australia whose magnificent formation dazzles your eyes.
Icebergs in Antarctica drifting, calving and dynamically changing in shape.
Newly-sprouting buds emerging as the seasons rotate.
Seashells washed up on the beach below his studio.
Women who transform their appearance as their fancy takes them.

From micro to macro, “change” was the theme that lay beneath everything Schmeisser depicted.
He devoted his life to capturing in his works the changes in the world that surrounded him.

Schmeisser was also closely connected to Japan. At this exhibition – the first full-scale retrospective since his death in 2012 – we follow his path with about 180 pieces covering his most important works from the early period to his final years.

Highlights of the Exhibition

1.From Japan to the Antarctic, his travels on an epic scale all around the world
2.The first full-scale retrospective since his death
3.Introducing the full spectrum of works from a period spanning 50 years by a printmaker artist who worked on a global scale

Structure of the Exhibition

“Change” was the lifelong theme of Schmeisser.
A series of works capturing landscapes of the places he visited or a transformation of individuals, the "Diary" prints with elegantly flowing calligraphy – all his works with different characteristics are connected to this theme, forming one major stream that consistently flows throughout Schmeisser’s art.
With the keyword “change,” we look at the development of his art from the early period to his final years, through five perspectives.

I. 変化へのまなざし / Beginnings: Seeds of Change

In 1962, Schmeisser enrolled in University of Fine Arts of Hamburg, where he studied print art under Paul Wunderlich. His strong interest in “change” can already be seen in his works from this period. In main pieces from his early works, such as “She grows old,” a series depicting a woman’s transformation as she ages, we can recognize the emergence of “change.”

II. 旅 / Journeys: Changes of Perspective

Schmeisser has been called the “Printmaker of the Journey.” For him, travelling meant moving through spaces, slipping back through the accumulated history there, experiencing emotions evoked within him by the landscapes, the events and the people he met at each place. It can be seen as changes of “one’s view formed as a result one’s experiences,” which is what the word “perspective” means. By looking at his works produced through his travels all over the world, including Japan, Australia and Ladakh, we re-trace and experience his travels.

III. 日記と「小さなもの」 / Diaries: The Record of Change

The "Diary" prints, with elegantly calligraphed texts on the prints, is highly acclaimed as a mode of expression unique to Schmeisser.
In this chapter, we look at changes he recorded regularly, with a focus on selected works from “Diaries” that are related to the objects familiar to him, such as seashells and buds, which he repeatedly depicted.

IV. 連作―変化を追う / Change and Metamorphoses

The work created to explore the possibilities of expression by consciously combining the theme “change” and the characteristics of printing techniques is the series that consists of three lots of prints, which is aptly named “Zustände/Changes.”
Schmeisser said, “To develop ideas is essential --- and so is the gaining of skills to articulate them.” It is a remarkable exhibition with all three lots of “Changes”; and as one of Schmeisser’s most important works embodies his images with wide-ranging and sophisticated techniques, exhibited side by side for the first time.

IV. 連作―変化を追う / Change and Metamorphoses

Schmeisser was often described as a follower of the German classic print art tradition. However, in fact, he was experimenting with creating art in an unfettered way – something only allowed of artists with superior skills. Especially since the late 1990s, he extensively exhibited pieces that clearly show such a tendency. There are works in “unique states,” where no single piece is finished equally to another, including the “After a winter’s journey” series in which he captured the impressions of his travels from various aspects using a technique of arranging several small original plates for each print, and the “Beach Bits From Yilpara” series depicting an ever-changing scene by adding drawings and hand paintings to the prints. The “Big Changes” series that captures each stage of the calving of icebergs in the Antarctic with multiple states of a single plate can be seen as the culmination of the techniques focused on the development of printing plates.
We track how Schmeisser, who had always pursued changes, reached the challenge to create changes by his own hands.

Exhibition Information

Dates	From Saturday, September 15 until Sunday, November 18
Closed	The museum is closed on Mondays, with the exception of September 17, 24 and October 8 when the museum is open and closed on Tuesdays, September 18, 25, and October 9 instead.
Opening hours	Weekdays 10:00 – 17:00 (Admission until 16:30) Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 10:00 – 17:30 (Admission until 17:00)
Admission	Adults: 800 (600) yen; high school and university students, people aged 65 years and above: 400 (300) yen; junior high school age and younger children: free * Admission is free on September 15 (the first day of the exhibition), and November 3 (Culture Day). * Admission rates for a group of 20 people or more are indicated in “( )”. * Half price for holders of a Physical Disability Certificate, “Ai no Techo” (Intellectual Disability Certificate), Mental Disability Certificate, and one attendant.
Venue	Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts Special Exhibition Rooms 1, 2
Hosted by	Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts, The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, The Japan Association of Art Museums
Promoted by	The Australian government, Australia-Japan Foundation, Australia now sponsors
Supported by	Japan Airlines, National Institute of Polar Research
Co-sponsored by	Lion Corporation, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance Inc., Nippon Television Network Corporation
Next venue	Nara Prefectural Museum of Art Saturday, April 13, 2019 – Sunday, June 2, 2019 (scheduled)

Jörg Schmeisser exhibition press release PDF[1,467KB]
Jörg Schmeisser exhibition leaflet PDF[1,668KB]

Associated Events

* Details and additional information will be updated as needed.

Lecture: Schmeisser and Japan

Date: Saturday, October 20, 14:00 – 15:30
Venue: Lecture hall on the 1st floor
Lecturer: Akira Kurosaki (printmaker)
Seating capacity: First 120 persons (no need for booking)
* Admission is free for holders of a ticket for the exhibition valid on the day.

Special gallery talks
Destinations of Schmeisser

Schmeisser’s Print Techniques

Sunday, November 11
Shuhei Ono (printmaker)

* Each lecture lasts about 40 minutes starting from 14:00.
* Come to the entrance of Special Exhibition Room 1 with your ticket for the exhibition valid on the day.

Gallery talk by curators

Dates: Sunday, October 14 and Saturday, October 27
* Each lecture lasts about 40 minutes starting from 14:00.
* Come to the entrance of Special Exhibition Room 1 with your ticket for the exhibition valid on the day.

Studio visits: Let’s have a closer look! Where copper prints are created

Date: Saturday, November 3, 11:00 – 12:30, 14:00 – 16:00
Venue: Print Studio on the 1st floor
Intended audience: Middle-school aged students and older
You can have a close look at how copper prints are made inside the studio.
* Please go directly to the Print Studio.
* Viewing is allowed anytime during the scheduled times. *Admission free

Promenade Concert: The world of print art with great composers Rina Takahashi (piano)

Date: Saturday, November 17, from 13:00 and from 15:00, each concert lasts about 30 minutes.
Venue: Entrance hall on the 1st floor
* Please note that there is no seating available.
* Admission free