(movement, 1954 - 1972)
"Gutai Bijutsu Kyokai" (Concrete Art Association, the word Gutai has been translated into English as 'embodiment' or 'concrete'.) - Japanese avant-garde group of art formed in 1954 in Kansai area. Led by Jiro YOSHIHARA and in quest of "an art which has never existed before", the young artists as Kazuo SHIRAGA, Sadamasa MOTONAGA, Atsuko TANAKA, Saburo MURAKAMI, Akira KANAYAMA and others experimented enthusiastically not only on paintings but also with various activities like open-air or staged events which anticipated today's installation or performance elements. The group was dissolved at the death of its leader, YOSHIHARA in 1972.