Special Exhibition

An Artist Who Continued Painting the Landscape of His Childhood in his Setagaya Studio.

When painter Kaoru Yamaguchi (1907-1968) returned to Japan from study in Paris in 1933, he established a studio in the Kamikitazawa area of Setagaya. He continued to live there for 35 years until his death at age 60. During this time, which spanned the prewar and postwar years, he helped found the Free Artists Association and the Modern Art Association, performing an important role in a progressive period for Japanese Western-style painting. He transcended the influence from European Art and created an original world of painting rooted in the cultural climate of Japan. This much-awaited retrospective exhibition shows the entire range of Yamaguchi's art from his early career to his later years, presenting 140 items of painting and documentation.