French literature scholar Shigeru Kashima says his collection, which went on show last week in Tokyo, will alter people's perceptions of art history and greatly affect artists and illustrators.
His collection of work by French printmaker and caricaturist J.J. Grandville, who was active in the first half of the 19th century, is "the first overview of his works in the world."
"I don't think anybody else in the world has more of his works than I," Kashima told The Daily Yomiuri prior to the opening of J.J. Grandville: Gravures Francaises Fantastiques au XIXeme Siecle at Nerima Art Museum in Tokyo. "My collection teaches us a lot about his artistry and achievements."
Grandville, whose work also has been highly praised elsewhere, rose to fame with his illustrations of half-animal half-human characters in a collection titled Les Metamorphoses du Jour in 1829.
By the time of the book's release, Grandville had already proven his ability to express our subconscious instincts in the form of animals. He used his editorial illustrations for satirical magazines and books to take penetrating looks at politics and public morality through the guise of his fantastic drawings, which later had a significant influence on the Surrealist movement of 1920s France.
Kashima said he became fascinated with Grandville's works since when he found them at a second-hand bookshop in Paris. His collection is split into three sections split over the Nerima museum's two floors.
The first section covers his works from 1825 to 1835, highlighting the rise of Grandville as a leading caricaturist. The works on show include 47 out of the 73 drawings for Les Metamorphoses du Jour, which were published in 1828-1829 and poked fun at people of various classes.
In Je n'y suis pour personne., what appears to be a bear sits and waits as a bird--presumably his wife--stands behind him with cleaning equipment.
The second part of the show, which deals with his works up until 1847, examines how the artist developed his own fantasy world until 1847. Especially amusing is a series of drawings titled Scenes de la Vie Privee et Publique des Animaux, published in 1840-42, in which he depicts the private life of animals. In it, he lampooned people who relied on superficial means to change their image, and the idea that one should be careful of one's actions because there may be somebody watching.
The last section shows the extent to which Grandville, who died in 1847 at the age of 43, has continued to influence artists. The items on display include books containing half-finished works.
Kashima is known for having a vast collection of books that he says "makes money for me." He has opened an antique book studio he rents out for photographic shoots.
While he is unsure of exactly how many books he has, Kashima says he spent a small fortune on the Grandville books. "I'm sure I'm not the only one whose life changed the moment he saw these drawings," he writes in the exhibition catalogue.
Kashima is confident this showcase will spark a sort of Grandville-mania that leads to a rethink of art history.
"J.J. Grandville: Gravures Francaises Fantastiques au XIXeme Siecle," until April 3, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Nerima Art Museum near Nakamurabashi Station on Seibu Ikebukuro Line in Nerima Ward, Tokyo. Closed March 22 and Mondays, except for March 21. Admission is 500 yen for adults, with student and senior discounts available. For further information, visit http://tinyurl.com/GrandvilleDY.
