Profile

1974       Born in Kumamoto.

1999       Starts advocating “Nippon-Ga.”

2000     Graduated at Kyoto University of Art and Design, Kyoto, with a BFA in Japanese painting.

Currently Associate Professor of Arts & History course at Akita University of Art.

 

Solo Exhibitions

1999       “Nippon-Ga,” Fukugan Gallery, Osaka

2001       “Appare Nippon,” Kusaka Gallery, Osaka

2002       “Hut in the City—Beison An,” Fukugan Gallery, Osaka

2003       “‘Two Sides, Both A’ Exhibition—KACHOUFUGETU/DOUSHOKUSAIE,” Gallery Iteza, Kyoto

“Nippon-Ga Encyclopaedia,” Pepper’s Gallery, Tokyo

“Mandala of Heisei Beauties,” Beauty Salon Mandala, Kyoto

2004       “Sumiyoshi Nippon-Ga Mode,” Street Gallery, Kobe

“NIRVANA?” Pepper’s Loft Gallery, Tokyo

2005       “Whose clothes?” Gallery Iteza, Kyoto

“Silver Wave and Gold Star,” Silver Wave/Hikari-kura, Ishikawa

2006       “HERO Ray GO!” Gallery Ray, Aichi

“Nippon-Ga Byobu Matsuri,” Gallery Iteza and 9 other locations in Kyoto

“Bubble Love—From Haseozoshi,” Neutron, Kyoto

2007       “Beautiful Nippon,” Street Gallery, Kobe

“Hibi Kore Nippon,” Bunkamura Arts & Crafts, Tokyo

2008          Imura Art Gallery, Kyoto

       “Fushikaden,” Shinjuku Takashimaya, Kyoto Takashimaya

       “Yamamoto Taro Exhibition,” Okayama Takashimaya

2009       “Yamamoto Taro Exhibition—Nippon-Ga, New but Classical Japanese Art,” Museum “Eki” KYOTO, Kyoto

2010       “Yamamoto Taro Exhibition, The Classics—Sakuragawa River/Sumidagawa River,” Art Gallery C-Square, Chukyo University, Aichi

“Yamamoto Taro Exhibition—The Classics: Tales,” Dai-ichi Life Gallery, Tokyo

“Nippon-Ga Hyakuga-Ryoran,” Shiinoki Geihinkan, Ishikawa

2011       “Yamamoto Taro Exhibition—The Classics: Cherry,” Imura Art Gallery, Kyoto

“Nippon! Cha! Cha! Cha!” Shinjuku Takashimaya, Tokyo

2012       “JHQ,” Imura Art Gallery, Tokyo

  “Kamisaka Sekka: Dawn of modern Japanese design” Art Gallery of New South Wales ,Sydney, Australia

“Nippon-Ga: Contemporary Visions of Classical Japanese Art,” Art Atrium, Sydney, Australia

 

2013       “Nippon-Ga: Kotohajime,” Tsuruya, Kumamoto

“24/24—twenty four twenty fourth—,” Imura Art Gallery, Kyoto/Tokyo

“Nippon-Ga KAOMISE,” Project Room Sasao, Akita

2014       “Coga Calling,” Nihombashi Takashimaya

2015       “Coga Calling,” Shinjuku Takashimaya, Yokohama Takashimaya, Osaka Takashimaya, Kyoto Takashimaya, Tsuruya Kumamoto, Yonago Takashimaya,   Matsuzakaya Nagoya

“Heisei Rimpa Taro Yamamoto x Unso-do,” Imura Art Gallery, Kyoto

 

Group Exhibitions

1999      “The 4th Showa Shell Sekiyu Contemporary Art Prize,” Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo

2000       “Philip Morris Art Award 2000,” Yebisu Garden Place, Tokyo

2002       “DISCOVERIES—GROUP 1,” Florence Lynch Gallery, New York

2005       “Japanese Painting Jack,” The Museum of Kyoto, Kyoto

2006       “incubation 05,” Kyoto Art Center, Kyoto

“Nippon vs Fine Art—Striving for Identity in the Context of Western Art,” Osaka City Museum of Modern Art, Shinsaibashi Temporary Exhibition Space, Osaka

2007       “VOCA 2007: The Vision of Contemporary Art,” The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo

“The Theory of Destruction Nihonga,” Art Gallery C-Square, Chukyo University, Aichi 

“Ranga,” Forever Museum of Contemporary Art, Akita

2008       “The Quintessence of Japanese-Style Painting: From the Edo Period to the Present,” The Suiboku Museum, Toyama

2009       “Children’s Art Museum: The Expedition to Nihonga—From Old Paintings to New,” Itabashi Art Museum, Tokyo

       “Japanese-Style Painters with Ties to Kyushu,” Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto, Kumamoto

2010        “Craft in Daily Life,” Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishikawa

2011        “Characters—Young Artists from Kyushu,” Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto, Kumamoto

“ZIPANGU,” Nihonbashi Takashimaya/Osaka Takashimaya/Kyoto Takashimaya

2012       “Kamisaka Sekka: Dawn of modern Japanese design,” Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

“ZIPANGU,” The Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum, Niigata

  “KAMIKOANI PROJECT AKITA”  Kamikoani village, Akita

  “Neo Classic! KAKUNODATE” Ando-Jyozo(Traditional Japanese-Miso shop), 　　Akita

2013       “Re:fine, Yamamoto Taro & Miyagawa Shinichi, Nippon-Ga/Ceramics,” Hankyu Umeda Main Store, Osaka

       “ZIPANGU,” Takasaki City Museum of Art (Gunma), Hachinohe City Museum of Art (Aomori), Akita Museum of Modern Art (Akita)

       “The Audacious Eye—Japanese Art from the Clark Collections,” Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, USA

  “KAMIKOANI PROJECT AKITA 2013”  Kamikoani village, Akita

  “Neo Classic! KAKUNODATE 2013” Ando-Jyozo(Traditional Japanese-Miso shop), Akita

2014          “KAMIKOANI PROJECT AKITA 2014”  Kamikoani village, Akita

                    “Neo Classic! KAKUNODATE 2014” Ando-Jyozo(Traditional Japanese-Miso shop), Akita

2015       “The 6th Higashiyama Memorial Nikkei Nihonga Prize,” The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo

       “400 Years of Rimpa: Past and Present Exhibition—The Hosomi Collection and the Contemporary Artists of Kyoto,” Hosomi Museum, Kyoto

       “Essence of Rimpa Appearing on Japanese Painting Circles in Kyoto—Humor and Wit,” Kyoto Prefectural Insho—Domoto Museum of Fine Arts, Kyoto

   “Art fair Tokyo 2014” Exhibited at the special area of Neo Rimpa

   “KAMIKOANI PROJECT AKITA 2015”  Kamikoani village, Akita

   “Celebrating 400 Years of Rimpa :The Road from Rimpa- The Works of Kamisaka Sekka and Yamamoto Taro” Museum “Eki” KYOTO

   “Ray as the wind god & Kylo Ren as the thunder god in Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, Kyoto

   “The world of Star Wars: Force for Japan” Nippon Television hall, Tokyo

2016　     “Kyoto Art for Tomorrow: RIMPA FOREVER ” The Museum of Kyoto

   “ART of ULTRAMAN” Shinjuku Takashimaya, Tokyo

   “Shaun in SHIBUYA” DAIKANYAMA T-SITE GARDEN GALLERY, Tokyo

   “ULTRA×ANTEROOM exhibition 2016” Hotel ANTEROOM, Kyoto

   “Opening the another world-Traditional monsters scroll and Contemporary art” Akita museum of art

   “Challenge of Nihon-ga Japanese style painting” Nakatsu-Bansho-En Marugame museum, Kagawa

   “HINOKUNI: Charity exhibition for Kumamoto earthquake ” Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Shinjuku Takashimaya, Tokyo

   “IMAYŌ今様: JAPAN’S NEW TRADITIONISTS” The Art Gallery of University of Hawaii/ Honolulu Museum of Art ,Honolulu

   “NIHON-GA-Searchi for a New Horizon-” Toyohashi City Museum Art & history, Aichi

   Gave a lecture at “TEDxKyoto” Kyoto University of Foreign Study, Kyoto

 

Collections

Kyoto University of Art and Design

Tohokushinsha Film Corporation

Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan Ltd.

Shiinoki Cultural Complex, Ishikawa

Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, USA

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

 

Awards

1999        The 4th Shell Art Award

2000       Philip Morris Art Award 2000

2007        VOCA Prize

2012        Nikkei Nihonga Prize

2015       Nikkei Nihonga Prize

2015       Kyoto City Artist Prize

Kyoto Prefecture Cultural Award, Encouragement Prize