1. Genichiro Inokuma, Keio University mural Democracy, 1949
2. Genichiro Inokuma, Kagawa Prefectural Government Office East Building tiled mural Wa Kei Sei Jaku,1958
3. Genichiro Inokuma, Tokyo Imperial Theatre stainded glass Movement, 1966
4. Genichiro Inokuma, Rexxam Hall (Kagawa Kenmin Hall) mural Message for the 21 Century, 1988
5. Genichiro Inokuma, “Hana-hiraku” pattern paper for Mitsukoshi wrapping paper, 1950
6. Genichiro Inokuma, JR Ueno Station mural Freedom, 1951
7. Genichiro Inokuma painting the mural Freedom at JR Ueno Station, 1951
8. Photo taken during the first restoration of the mural Freedom at JR Ueno Station in 1984.
1-4, 6 photo by Akira Takahashi
EXPO INOKUMA EXPO INOKUMA
Date: Sat. 12 April 2025 - Sun. 6 July 2025
Hours: 10:00 - 18:00 (Admission until 30 minutes before closing time)
Closed: Mondays (except 5 May), Wed 7 May
Organized by Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, The MIMOCA Foundation, JAPAN Arts Council, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
Supervision of architectural history by Taro Igarashi (Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University)
Art direction by Atsuki Kikuchi
Admission:
Adults ¥1,500
Students (college, university) ¥1,000
Children (under 18), residents of Marugame who are 65 and over, and all visitors with a physical disability certificate are admitted free.
[Group use discount for groups of 20 or more] Adults ¥1,200, Students ¥800
[City resident discount for Marugame citizens] Adults ¥900, Students ¥600
*Ticket valid for admission to the permanent collection.
*City residents must present identification (driver’s license, insurance card, etc.) at the first-floor reception desk when visiting.
*The city resident discount cannot be combined with other discounts, including group discounts.
This exhibition looks beyond Genichiro Inokumaʼs (1902-1993) celebrated work as a painter to explore his connections with famous artists, collaborations with architects, design work, and cultural contributions that emerged from these activities.
Inokuma was active throughout almost the entire 20th century, with an art career spanning 70 years. While his pursuit of beauty in painting was consistent, he never ceased to evolve stylistically by embracing new modes of expression. He was active internationally, living in Paris before World War II and in New York and Hawaii in the postwar years. This exhibition traces Inokumaʼs extensive activities in Japan and abroad, focusing on his postwar involvement in areas other than painting. It highlights his collaborations with members of the artist group Shinseisaku-ha Kyokaiʼs architecture section, which he co-founded in 1949; his design work and public art projects; his role in Japan-US cultural exchange during his years in New York; his connections with internationally renowned artists; and his laying the groundwork for an embrace of culture in his home prefecture of Kagawa, which contributed to its current recognition as “Art Prefecture Kagawa.”
1. Genichiro Inokuma, Keio University mural Democracy, 1949
2. Genichiro Inokuma, Kagawa Prefectural Government Office East Building tiled mural Wa Kei Sei Jaku,1958
3. Genichiro Inokuma, Tokyo Imperial Theatre stainded glass Movement, 1966
4. Genichiro Inokuma, Rexxam Hall (Kagawa Kenmin Hall) mural Message for the 21 Century, 1988
5. Genichiro Inokuma, “Hana-hiraku” pattern paper for Mitsukoshi wrapping paper, 1950
6. Genichiro Inokuma, JR Ueno Station mural Freedom, 1951
7. Genichiro Inokuma painting the mural Freedom at JR Ueno Station, 1951
8. Photo taken during the first restoration of the mural Freedom at JR Ueno Station in 1984.
1-4, 6 photo by Akira Takahashi
Genichiro Inokuma
1902 Born in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, where he spent his youth.
1921 Graduates from Marugame Middle School (now, Kagawa Prefectural Marugame Senior High School).
1922 Enters Tokyo Fine Arts School (now, Tokyo University of the Arts), where he studied under Takeji Fujishima.
1926 First selected for inclusion in the Imperial Art Acadmyʼs 7th Art Exhibition. (Until 1934, Inokuma would mainly be active in the exhibition.)
1927 Leaves oil painting program at Tokyo Fine Arts School.
1935 Organized the Dainibu-kai group with like-minded associates who also pledged not to submit work to the new Teiten as a protest against government interference, and showed work in the groupʼs first exhibition.
1936 Joined artists of a similar age to form the Shinseisaku-ha Kyokai (now, the Shinseisaku Kyokai), where he subsequently presented any new work.
1938 Studies in France (until 1940), and receives some instruction from Henri Matisse.
1949 Established the architecture section of the artist group Shinseisaku-ha Kyokai with architect Bunzo Yamaguchi. Painted the mural Democracy for Keio Universityʼs Students Hall (designed by Yoshiro Taniguchi).
1950 Designs “Hana-hiraku” wrapping paper for Mitsukoshi department store.
1951 Paints mural Freedom in main hall of Japanese National Railways Ueno Station (now the central concourse in JR-East Ueno Station).
1955 Traveled to the US and set up a studio in New York.
1958 Produced the ceramic work Wa Kei Sei Jaku for the Kagawa Prefectural Government Officeʼs East Building (designed by Kenzo Tange).
1975 Gives up his New York studio, and begins spending winters in Hawaii and working the rest of the year in Tokyo.
1988 Donated 100 works to Kagawa Prefecture. Received an award from Kagawa Prefecture as a Person of Cultural Merit.
1989 Donates 1,000 of his works to the city of Marugame.
1991 Awarded honorary citizenship by Marugame City. Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art opens.
1993 Dies in Tokyo at the age of 90.
