Gen’ichirō Inokuma: Arranging My Dreams

Exhibition Title:

“Gen’ichirō Inokuma: Arranging My Dreams”

Venue:

Marugame Gen’ichirō Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art

Dates:

December 13 (Sat), 2025 – February 15 (Sun), 2026

Hours:

10:00 – 18:00

Closed Days:

Mondays (open on January 12)

December 25–31, 2025, and January 13, 2026

Admission:

General: ¥1,500

University students: ¥1,000

Free for high school students and younger, those under 18, seniors 65+, residents of Marugame, and visitors with disabilities along with one accompanying person (please show proof)

Overview:

Gen’ichirō Inokuma (1902–1993), born in Kagawa Prefecture, studied at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and continued to work in Tokyo after graduation. From 1938 to 1940, just before the outbreak of World War II, he studied in Paris before returning to Japan. In 1955, after turning 50, he spent about 20 years in New York, and later maintained studios in both Tokyo and Hawaii, continuing to create art until he was 90.

His works evolved with changing times and environments, moving from realistic figurative to stylized figurative, and during his time in New York, to abstraction. However, throughout his life, Inokuma consistently poured himself fully into the canvas.

In his later years, Inokuma produced works that were neither figurative nor abstract, believing that all shapes could exist beautifully in balance. Circles, squares, unclassifiable forms, faces, birds—various shapes coexist freely in his paintings. While he valued observation and could accurately depict forms, the countless shapes accumulated over his long career were expressed freely and without constraint, resulting in works full of wonder.

“I am merely arranging my dreams on my canvas in my own way; you, in turn, will see it in your own way.”

This exhibition features works created by Inokuma after the age of 80. Please enjoy the art of an artist who painted freely and uninhibitedly for over 70 years.