Japanese Baskets—Looking and Collecting

Lloyd Cotsen

Lloyd Cotsen is a dedicated, public-spirited collector who is as interested in preserving the art in Japan as he is in building his own collection. During his conversation with Asian Art Curator Ronald Otsuka, and the following workshop presentation, Mr. Cotsen spoke of his "strong moral sense" of being the custodian of the collection that really belongs to society. He has thought long and hard as to how his collection can be used to promote further interest in the art of basketry, and it was exciting to learn how he is already putting many of his ideas into practice.

Mr. Cotsen attributes his love of collecting to the "family of accumulators," in which he grew up. His collection of more than 1300 Japanese baskets began over 40 years ago with an opportunistic thirty-five dollar purchase. A background in architecture helped him appreciate form in space and structural techniques, and an empathy with Zen minimalism and simplicity drew his heart to the intangible spirit of each basket he acquired.

With slides of his collection, he showed the broad range of shapes and sizes that Japanese makers employ. From contemporary abstract and decorative baskets to more stylized traditional functional ones, they demonstrated the skill, discipline, and artistry of their makers. The audience was surprised to learn that a single contemporary basket might take three or four months to weave.

A Japanese basket maker's path to recognition is arduous, requiring years of apprenticeship. One may be sixty or more before being granted entry into one of the two guilds. In order to encourage "young" basket makers in Japan (those under fifty-five), Mr. Cotsen has established an award program—as a challenge to the closed society of basket makers and a way to gain worldwide recognition for a living art form that otherwise might fade away.

At the workshop, Mr. Cotsen guided participants through the Museum's considerable basket collection. To be surrounded by these baskets made by some of Japan's "National Treasures" in the company of the man who is known among Japanese basket dealers as the "King of the Baskets" was a rare opportunity that none of the workshop participants will forget.



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