Official Exhibition

This is a government-sponsored public art exhibition, and is the common name used for public exhibitions by independent art groups. When the art movement became popular in the mid-Meiji period, many art groups were formed, but the government established an art review committee in the Ministry of Education to promote art, and since 1907 (Meiji 40), it has held the Ministry of Education Art Exhibition (Bunten) every year. However, there were constant problems such as the selection of judges and bureaucratic management, so in 1919 (Taisho 8), the Imperial Art Academy regulations were issued, and the Imperial Art Academy came under the management of the Minister of Education, and art exhibitions were held as one of its activities. This was called the "Teiten." However, there were few independent artists on the list, such as Japanese painters Yokoyama Taikan and Shimomura Kanzan who declined membership, and after a while, the smooth operation of the exhibition began again. In 1935, the Minister of Education Matsuda proposed to reorganize the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, but this caused further confusion, and in 1937 the Academy was dissolved and the new Imperial Academy of Fine Arts was established, with art exhibitions being sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the so-called "Shin-Bunten Exhibition." In 1946, the Bunten Exhibition was renamed the Japan Art Exhibition (Nitten), and later, partly to remove the official influence of the exhibition, a private art organization called the Nitten Incorporated Association was established in March 1984. It holds exhibitions every autumn and has departments in Japanese painting, Western painting, sculpture, craft art, and calligraphy, making it the largest art organization in the world today.

[Shinichi Nagai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

政府の主催する美術の公募展覧会のことで、在野の美術団体の公募展に対して用いた通称。明治中ごろ美術運動が盛んになると、多くの美術団体が結成されたが、政府は美術の振興を図る目的で、文部省に美術審査委員会を設け、1907年（明治40）以来、毎年文部省美術展覧会（文展）を開催した。しかし審査員の選出、官僚的な運営など弊害が絶えず、19年（大正8）帝国美術院規定を発布、帝国美術院は文部大臣の管理に属し、その事業の一つとして美術展覧会を開いた。これを「帝展」とよんだ。しかしこれも日本画の横山大観、下村(しもむら)観山が会員を辞退するなど、在野の美術家で名を連ねるものも少なく、しばらくたつとまた円滑な運営を欠くに至った。そこで35年（昭和10）、時の松田文相は帝国美術院の改組を打ち出したが、いっそうの混乱を招き、37年同院を解消、新たに帝国芸術院を設置、美術展は文部省の主催にして、いわゆる「新文展」を開催した。46年（昭和21）文展は日本美術展覧会（日展）と改称、のち官展色を取り除く意味もあって、59年3月社団法人日展という民間の美術団体が設立され、毎年秋に展覧会を開き、日本画、洋画、彫刻、工芸美術、書の各部門を擁し、現在最大の組織を有する美術団体となった。

［永井信一］

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