Biography

Painter/print artist. Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture, and lived in Kitakyushu City during his childhood. Moved to Tokyo in 1931. Due to student mobilization in WWII, he joined the military for a period. After the war, he entered the University of Tokyo. In 1951, he moved to France to study at Sorbonne University as a self-funded international student. From that time onward, he was based in France. In Paris, he socialized with Taro Okamoto, Kumi Sugai, and other artists who had been involved in the avant-garde group “CoBrA.” In the 1950s, his painting was characterized by a thick textured surface in rather dark colors. However, in 1961, after he returned from his trip to Southeast Asia and India, his painting style transformed into one filled with vitality, which allowed the viewer to recall vivid-colored flowers and plants. In 1982 and 2002, his large-scale solo exhibitions were held at our museum.