Special Exhibitions
October 18 (Tue) – December 28 (Wed), 2022
Taro Okamoto created compositions filled with emotional impact, working across genres from painting to sculpture, public art, and household necessities. He produced the Tower of the Sun, the central theme pavilion of the 1970 Japan World Exposition [Expo '70], and in later years became a popular figure among TV viewers with his catchphrase, “Art is an explosion!” While among the most popular and widely recognized artists in postwar Japan, Okamoto’s diverse output made it difficult to grasp the full range of his artistry. When asked, “What is your occupation?” he would answer: “A human being—a human being living furiously as a whole existence.” This exhibition, the largest Taro Okamoto retrospective ever, will trace the entire scope of Okamoto’s career—from his beginnings as an 18-year-old artist in Paris to his mature works as a leader of the Japanese avant-garde and finally the paintings he quietly produced in his studio in his late years. By furthermore exploring Okamoto’s ideas on culture and aesthetics—his quest to unearth indigenous landscapes overlooked from an ethnographic perspective and his sharp messages communicating the artistic spirit broadly to the public—the exhibition will illuminate the life of an artist who continually challenged the unknown.