Introducting Artists

About

Tsunemasa Takahashi

Tsunemasa Takahashi

A painter paints something. That something can be a shape, a color, a tone, etc. The painter combines these elements to present an image before the viewer’s eyes. I consume an enormous amount of imagery every day. Paintings, movies, music, literature, etc. And my job is to find the structure between the methods I have learned to paint and the many images I consume and feel. It’s so complicated that I can’t see the future at all. (Artist’s comment "My Shapes" from "Print Yearbook 2001," Abe Publishing Co.)

Biography

Biography
1949 Born in Tokyo, Japan
1972 Grand Prize, Kodansha Famous Schools Contest
1973 Graduated from Sogei Art School
1974 Goes to Europe (-78). Studied under Ernst Fuchs and Rudolf Hausner, core members of the Vienna School

Main Solo Exhibitions
1974 Aoki Gallery, Tokyo
1975 Galerie am Rabensteig, Vienna
1978 Miyuki Gallery, Ginza, Tokyo
1979 Aoki Gallery, Tokyo
1979 Galerie Humanite Nagoya, Japan
1981 Aoki Gallery, Tokyo
1982 Galerie Humanite Nagoya, Japan
1983 Gallery Arche, Roppongi, Gallery Haku, Osaka, etc.
1983 Gallery Haku (Osaka), White Art Gallery (Tokyo), Kinokuniya Gallery (Tokyo)
1985 Galerie Tokyo Humanite, Tokyo
1990 Galerie Tokyo Humanite, Tokyo
1993 Galerie Tokyo Humanite, Tokyo
1997 "Twelve of the Big Leaguers" by lithograph, SPACE 11, Ginza, Tokyo
1999 "The World of Tsunemasa Takahashi", Ikeda Museum of Art, Nagano
2011 Galerie Tokyo Humanite
2015 Galerie Tokyo Humanite
2019 Galerie Tokyo Humanite

Main Group Exhibitions
1977 "20 Junge Hamburger" Kunsthaus, Hamburg, Germany
1980 "Gruppe 5" Galerie Lepi, Hamburg
1987 "The 2nd Biennial of Figurative Painting" The Museum of Modern Art, Kanagawa, Japan
1992 "IMA Painting Today" Mitsukoshi Museum of Art, Tokyo
1995 "IMA Painting Today" Mitsukoshi Museum of Art, Tokyo
1997 "IMA Painting Today" Mitsukoshi Museum of Art, Tokyo

Other
Cover design and bookbinding for "Sophie’s World," novel "The Bible," and many others. Stage set and costume design for Shiki Theatre Company’s musicals, poster production, magazine covers, etc.

artist profile

Born in Tokyo in 1949, he is a world-renowned contemporary painter and illustrator. After studying at the Sogata School of Fine Arts, he studied under prominent painters of the Vienna School and worked in Europe before returning to Japan and entering the world of illustration, where he has been active in various media.

His works are characterized by the vivid and unique expression created by his mixed technique of oil and tempera, and his works, such as the cover of the novel "Sophies WorldS" which has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, are loved by many people.

His style of painting exudes humor, freedom, and unconventional originality. This is because his total commitment to his work, and the critical ability and tolerance he has cultivated through his long experience, create a one-of-a-kind worldview that is unrivaled.

In todays efficiency-oriented society, his work shows a beauty that can only be found by taking detours. We can expect new possibilities and excitement from the works of Tsunemasa Takahashi, who has been active as a painter and illustrator for almost 40 years.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

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Publication

 book:I, a penguin, have wandered into the scorching desert.

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