Shozo Shimamoto was a Japanese artist and founding member of the avant-garde Gutai group. Like many of his peers, Shimamoto was focused on the unique physicality of materials and processes that pushed beyond traditional techniques or forms. His works often bear an imprint of the active practices involved in their making. Untitled (White), 1955, in Glenstone’s collection, was constructed using dense layers of newspaper that Shimamoto painted white then eventually punctured, creating holes in the hardened surface that reveal the wall behind the work. As the artist stated, “Even if my method seems shocking…because I am an artist my purpose is to make the work beautiful, to show the beauty of everything.”

–Anne Reeve, from the Glenstone Field Guide