Special Exhibition "Sakakibara Shiko: Innovation Rooted in Tradition"
A retrospective of Japanese painter Sakakibara Shiko, the first in over half a century, will present 70 works spanning his entire career.Summary
This exhibition is a retrospective of the Japanese painter Sakakibara Shiko (1895–1969), who was born in Kyoto and based his activities around the Kokuga Sosaku Kyokai (Kokuten). After studying at the Kyoto City School of Arts and Crafts and its Painting Special School, he pursued a new expression that crossed the boundaries between Japanese-style painting and Western painting, building on traditional Japanese painting techniques while actively incorporating Western painting techniques. In "Namikiri Fukei" (1923), he used canvas as a support and partly employed oil paints while submitting it to the "Japanese Painting Division," and in "Yutei" (1928) he attempted a style reminiscent of Momoyama wall paintings, thus opening a unique artistic realm unfettered by existing frameworks. After the dissolution of the Kokuten, he worked with Shinjusha and then as an independent artist, and in 1955 he achieved an exceptional record of selection: an oil painting at the Independent Art Exhibition and "Gake" at the 11th Nitten. No retrospective of Shiko has been held for more than half a century since the posthumous exhibition following his death, and this exhibition introduces the full scope of his career through 70 works from his earliest period to his late years. The exhibition runs from October 17 to November 29, 2026.
(Source：美術展ナビ)