Antonio Fontanesi's First Large Retrospective in Japan to Open at Mitsubishi ICHIGOKAN Museum in October. Exploring the Full Scope of the Painter Who Influenced Modern Japanese Oil Painting.
Antonio Fontanesi's first large retrospective in Japan opens at Mitsubishi ICHIGOKAN Museum on October 17.Summary
The exhibition "Fontanesi: Italian Light, Landscapes of the Heart" will be held at the Mitsubishi ICHIGOKAN Museum in Tokyo from October 17 to January 24, 2027. This event marks the first large retrospective of Antonio Fontanesi in Japan. Fontanesi was an Italian painter of the 19th century who traveled across Europe, including Switzerland, France, and the UK, and created poetic landscapes influenced by the Barbizon School and J.M.W. Turner. In Japan, he is known for being invited as a drawing teacher at the Kōbu Bijutsu Gakkō (Technical Art School) in 1876 at the age of 58, where he trained early Western-style painters such as Asai Chū. The exhibition showcases his dedication to painting ideal landscapes, his sincere gaze toward urban bustle and rural labor, and his deep interest in light and nature. It promises to be a journey of discovery for both those seeing his work for the first time and those familiar with his name.
(Source：Tokyo Art Beat)