KAYAMA MATAZO

• KAYAMA MATAZOU, Japanese painter and printmaker. He was born into a traditional artistic family: his grandfather was a Japanese-style painter and his father was a costume designer for Nishijin textiles in Kyoto. After graduating from Tokyo Fine Arts School, he studied under Kyujin Yamamoto and pursued Japanese-style painting. He held his first solo exhibition in 1955 and participated in the Guggenheim International Art Exhibition in 1958. Around this time, he began to exhibit frequently at exhibitions abroad. He became a professor emeritus at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.

• relevant artists

  • MISHIMA KIMIYO

    MISHIMA KIMIYO, Japanese contemporary artist. She is known for her detailed ceramic reproductions of trash, newspapers, and magazines, she began her career as a painter and artist in the early 1960s, began making ceramics in 1971, and at this time began using silkscreening techniques to print newspaper and advertising poster images on clay. She is one of the leading artists both nationally and internationally. Her works are in the collections of many of the world's most prestigious museums and art galleries. Major collections include: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Kyocera Museum of Art, Kyoto, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Benesse House Museum Naoshima, M+, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The British Museum, and Centre Pompidou.

  • INOKUMA GENICHIRO

    GENICHIRO INOKUMA was a leading figure in modern Japanese Western-style painting. Known for his vibrant colors and free-form compositions, he poetically abstracted scenes from urban life and the everyday. While his early works were figurative, his time in New York in the 1950s marked a decisive shift to abstraction. Incorporating symbols and architectural motifs with rhythmic structures, he developed a distinctive style that balances order and playfulness. In addition to painting, he was actively involved in mural and design work. His major works are held in collections such as The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; the Kagawa Prefectural Museum; and the Marugame Genichiro Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (MIMOCA).

  • KUREMOTO TOSHIMATSU

    KUREMOTO TOSHIMATSU’s work employs diverse techniques across printmaking, painting, and three-dimensional forms, presenting a quiet and structurally oriented visual language. His use of geometric forms and abstracted motifs reveals material weight and spatial tension, establishing a unique world where stillness and intensity coexist. Refined material textures and restrained color palettes define the distinguishing features of his work.

  • PETER GHYCZY

    PETER GHYCZY was born in the United States and developed a strong interest in diverse artistic expressions from a young age, exploring techniques in painting, printmaking, and sculpture. After studying fine arts at university, he established his practice in New York, creating works that often depict urban life and fragments of everyday experience. His art is characterized by blurring the boundaries between abstraction and figuration, constructing a distinctive visual language through multilayered materials and textures. He has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions both domestically and internationally, and is recognized as a contemporary artist exploring sensuous and poetic modes of expression.

  • ANDY WARHOL

    Andy Warhol, regarded as one of the most famous figures in 20th century art, who is the advocate and leader of Pop Art, and the artist who influenced Pop Art the most. He boldly experimented with various reproduction techniques such as letterpress printing, rubber or wood topography, gold leaf technique, and photo projection. In addition to being a leading figure in Pop Art, Warhol was a filmmaker, writer, rock music composer, publisher, and a star artist in the New York social and artistic scene.

  • KAKEI MOTONARI

    KAKEI MOTONARI was born in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1951. After graduating from the Oil Painting Department of Tokyo Zokei University in 1975, he moved to France and has since been based in Paris, where he has continued his artistic production and exhibitions for many years. From 1976 onward, he exhibited at Le Salon and the Salon d’Automne, was invited to participate in the Yugoslav Drawing Biennale in 1980, received an Honorable Mention at the Yasui Prize Exhibition in 1988, and was awarded the Excellence Prize at the Showa-kai Exhibition in 1990. He has held numerous solo exhibitions in Japan and abroad, primarily at Nichido Gallery and Zokei Gallery, and is known for oil paintings depicting people of everyday Parisian life and urban street scenes. He has also held a solo exhibition at the Norton Gallery.

  • MISKOVIC

    A painter from Yugoslavia (or the former Yugoslav region), known for realistic depictions of ballerinas and female figures in pastel and oil paintings.

  • HENRY MOORE

    HENRY MOORE was born in Castleford, Yorkshire, England, in 1898 and was a British sculptor. He studied at the Leeds School of Art and the Royal College of Art, establishing an international reputation as one of the leading sculptors of the twentieth century. He is best known for his abstracted representations of the human figure, particularly reclining figures in bronze. His works are held in major museum collections worldwide, including Tate, the British Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

  • YOSHIHARA JIRO

    YOSHIHARA JIRO is a Japanese abstract painter and businessman. In 1954, he founded the Gutai Art Association, the leading artistic movement in the postwar Kansai region. The following year, he held the first exhibition, and until 1968, he held 21 exhibitions of Gutai art not only in Japan but also in New York and Turin, becoming a part of the international art movement. He often said not to inherit modern paintings or imitate others, but create something that no one has ever done before." His philosophy led to the creation of many artists, including SHIRAGA KAZUO and MOTONAGA SADAMASA. He is best known for his works featuring circles, such as large white circles painted on a black background. Major Collections: National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, Ohara Museum of Art, Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

  • YAMANAKA MASAHIRO

  • Lee Sansul

    Lee Sansui, Korean modernist artist. Born in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea in 1958.