Bukichi Inoue (Hara, 1930 – Kamakura, 1997)
Giuliano Gori invited Bukichi Inoue to carry out his project at Celle after seeing his public works at the Hakone Open Air Museum and in the urban squares of major Japanese cities. After visiting the 19th-century park, the artist showed a preference for spaces that were less historically characterized and turned to the agricultural lands on the outskirts of the garden. Here, among the olive trees, he found a space that could give ample scope to his vision of the “Sky Hole,” which is a passage that starts from underground and connects earth and sky. The work thus represents an ideal continuation of the romanticism expressed by the nearby park.
Inoue’s work, due to its articulation and complexity, became the longest construction project in the history of the Collection and required the artist’s repeated visits to oversee the complex works, including the creation of a hydraulic plant for the small fountain at the center of Inoue’s pathway. In planning his returns to Italy, the artist took into account Tuscan customs, becoming passionate about “cacio con le pere,” a traditional Tuscan dish combining cheese and pears.
