MATSUTANI TAKESADA

• MATSUTANI TAKESADA, Japanese contemporary artist, who became a member of Gutai Art Association in 1963. He established the technique of painting the bonded screen in black with pencil, and is active at the forefront of the world with a main section at the Venice Biennale in 2017 and a solo exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou in 2019.

• relevant artists

  • 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

  • ZAO WOU-KI

    ZAO WOU-KI was a Chinese-French painter, born in Beijing. In his childhood, he studied in Nantong Jiangsu and learned painting. In 1935, he entered Hangzhou Art College and studied under Lin Fengmian. In 1948, he went to France to study and settled in France. The Western contemporary painting style and oil painting color technique of his work was excellent in the artistic expression of traditional Chinese culture, color changes, and brushstrokes, and was called "the representative of modern Western abstract painting". He was a professor at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris which is known as École des Arts Décoratifs, and was awarded the order of chivalry of France. He held exhibitions in more than 160 locations around the world. He died on April 9, 2013 because of illness at the age of 92.

  • ANDO TADAO

    ANDO TADAO, Japanese architect, born in Osaka, self-taught in architecture. He is a first-class architect and special University Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo. He opened his own design studio in 1969. He has produced numerous works in Japan and abroad, including houses, churches, and hotels, mainly using concrete. Row House in Sumiyoshi (1976), Church of Light (1989), Benesse House Museum in Naoshima (1992), The Hundred Step Garden in Awaji (2000), Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest (2020), etc.

  • IZUMI SHIGERU

    IZUMI SHIGERU, Japanese artist, born in Osaka. He graduated from the Crafts Design Department of Osaka Municipal Crafts School in 1934, and worked in the Advertising Department of Daimaru Osaka Store. In 1951, he participated in the formation of the "Association of Democrat Artists" and began making copperplate prints and lithographs under the influence of Ei-Q. In 1957, he received the Newcomer's Encouragement Award at the 1st Tokyo International Print Biennale. In 1959, he moved to New York, and in 1963, he moved to Paris, where he developed a style of geometric abstraction. After returning to Japan in 1968, he began using rulers, compasses, and airbrushes to experiment with abstraction without subjectivity. Since 1970, he had been a professor at Osaka University of Arts, where he has trained many young artists. In 2005, the exhibition "IZUMI SHIGERU's Legacy, 10 years after his death" was held at the Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama.

  • TSUTAKA WAICHI

    TSUTAKA WAICHI, Japanese Western-style painter and poet. His concise abstract expression is highly regarded both in Japan and abroad. He painted figurative paintings until early 1956, later he changed to abstract paintings with a distinctive poetic sentiment. In 1946, he exhibited his work at the Behavioral Arts Society Exhibition. In 1960, he exhibited at the New York Guggenheim Prize Art Exhibition. Since 1969, he had been a professor at the Department of Fine Arts, Osaka University of Arts, the following year he became an emeritus professor. Major Collections: Museum of Modern Art, New York; British Museum; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sao Paulo; National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

  • KANEKO KUNIYOSHI

    KANEKO KUNIYOSHI, a painter from Japan, was born in Warabi City, Saitama Prefecture. He began teaching himself oil painting in 1964 and the following year, he met Ryuichi Shibusawa and was tasked with the cover design and illustrations for "The Tale of Ojou". He became well-known for his cover illustrations and illustrations for many books and magazines. In 1998, he opened the art gallery "Bijutsu Club Higurashi" in Jinbocho.