Yasuo Sumi Retrospective in Genoa Explores Gutai Movement

A rare retrospective of Japanese painter Yasuo Sumi, titled 'Nothing But The Future,' is on view at ABC-ARTE in Genoa, Italy, until May 27. Curated by Flaminio Gualdoni, the exhibition spans works from 1954 to 2013, the year of Sumi's death. Sumi, a nonconformist artist associated with the Gutai movement, used unconventional tools like paper umbrellas, traditional clogs, and his hands instead of brushes to create large canvases. The show brings together pieces from international museums and private collections, offering insight into Gutai, a postwar Japanese avant-garde group that is gaining attention from collectors and auction houses. The chronological display highlights Sumi's technical and communicative evolution, and his oeuvre is notably limited in number. The exhibition also prompts reflection on the historical, political, and cultural conditions of the East and the expressive solutions of artists of that era.