Bernard Buffet: A Painter Who Depicted His Soul into Scratched Line, from the collection of Musée Bernard Buffet

【Venue】

Kosetsu Museum of Art, Nakanoshima

【Dates】

October 4 (Sat) – December 14 (Sun), 2025

【Hours】

10:00 – 17:00 (Last admission at 16:30)

【Closed】

Mondays (Open if a national holiday)

【Admission】

General: ¥1,600 (¥1,400)

University/High school students: ¥800 (¥600)

Elementary/Junior high school students: ¥400 (¥200)

※Figures in parentheses indicate advance or group rates (20 or more people)

【Discounts】 (Please present valid ID)

・For the visitor and one accompanying person:

　Asahi Tomo-no-Kai (¥200 discount), Persons with disabilities (50% off)

・For the visitor only:

　Yabunouchi Enan Foundation Members (¥200 discount), Festival Hall Friends (¥200 discount),

　Hyogo Arts & Culture Association Members (¥200 discount)

【Overview】

Bernard Buffet’s paintings are defined by piercing black lines and muted tones that hover between reality and unreality. In the aftermath of World War II, Buffet captured the pervasive anxiety and sense of confinement of the era, establishing his distinctive style before the age of twenty and becoming one of the most celebrated young artists in the world.

In Japan, during the turbulent 1960s marked by student protests and political unrest, Buffet’s nihilistic imagery resonated deeply with the younger generation. His works—often seen hanging in cafés and on city streets—became icons of the time.

Despite the rise of Abstract Expressionism and other avant-garde movements, Buffet remained steadfast in his commitment to figurative painting. Yet, this very insistence led to criticism of his work as “popular” or “commercial,” causing him to distance himself gradually from the art establishment.

This exhibition reexamines Buffet’s oeuvre, long overlooked in art history, and explores the “reality” (réalité) that lay within his gaze.

Approximately 60 works will be on view, all selected from the Bernard Buffet Museum in Nagaizumi, Shizuoka—the world’s only museum dedicated to the artist. The exhibition focuses on his cherished subjects of insects and still lifes, featuring oil paintings, prints, and archival materials.