In the last part of Lautrec’s works, more lithographs impart the presence of brothels that actively operated in 19th century Paris. Lautrec was intrigued by the daily lives of the women and sometimes, sketched them in the absence of men. One of his famous prints is Elles, La Clownesse assise – Mademoiselle Cha-U-Kao (1896). Lautrec captured clown and dancer Cha-u-Kao offstage, in her moment of pause and fatigued expression. Also captivating is Elles, Femme au tub – Le tub (1896), showing a woman preparing her bath against a sophisticated-looking setting, insinuating a contradiction of separate social classes.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Elles, Femme au tub- Le tub, 1896, Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo

Sophie Calle’s individual works are displayed on the second floor. Calle is noted for producing works that combine text, photographs and videos. Many of them deal with the painful experience of a heartbreak, inevitably leading to the pit of loss and absence. She has exhibited expansively across the globe, from Tate Gallery in London (1998), Centre Pompidou in Paris (2003), and Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo (2023), among others.

Portrait of Sophie Calle. Photo: Yves Géant

The first room of photographs and three-dimensional pieces synthesized with words, Autobiographies, pertains to her memories of her cat, mother and father whom she had all lost. In another room, In Memory of Frank Gehry’s Flowers (2014), a wall-mounted shelf of a flower collage and painted wood ensemble that the artist dedicates to Frank Gehry, is exposed publicly for the first time.

Odilon Redon, Grand Bouquet, 1901, Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo

An exclusive presentation of Odilon Redon’s Grand Bouquet (1901) is being displayed for a brief period. The massive 2.5-meter painting glows with resplendent colors, reminding visitors of the transience of time, in relation to existence and non-existence of artworks.

The exhibition is a nostalgic revisit of Lautrec’s heartwarming achievements that somehow accord with the museum’s return to public viewing.

Commemorative Reopening Exhibition: Absences – Toulouse-Lautrec & Sophie Calle
Date: November 23rd, 2024 – January 26th, 2025
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (Friday, the second Wednesday and from January 20th to 23rd till 20:00)
Closed on Mondays, December 31st and January 1st (except December 30th, January 13th and January 20th)
Place: Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo
Address: 2-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
https://mimt.jp/ex/ls2024/en/