Kyoji Takubo

Kyoji Takubo (1949, Ehime) studied painting at Tama Art University. He started his career as an artist in 1971, exhibiting 5 series of solo shows ‘Image Judgement’at the galleries in Tokyo. In 1980s he focused on the creation of assemblage, and represented Japan in the 41st Venice Biennale.

Furthermore, in collaboration with architect Ryoji Suzuki and photographer Shigeo Anzai, he produced the project ‘Absolute Scene – 1987’ showing viewers the process of tearing down two old houses. This project took him far in his artistic odyssey to explore works involved with architecture which arose with memories and history ingrained in a specific place.

From 1989, moving to Normandy, France, with his family, he devoted 11 years to the restoration of a small abandoned chapel. For the project of ‘La Chapelle des Pommiers’ , Takubo received Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Minister of Culture.

After returning to Japan, he has been undertaken the restoration of the whole sanctuary of Kompira-san shrine in Shikoku, produced mosaic wall painting for Global Plaza Entrance of University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo, offering many paintings of various plants to Auberge “The HIRAMATSU Karuizawa Miyota” opened in March, 2021 and many other projects producing ‘Landscape Art’ that will live even after the disappearance of the artist.

He has exhibited at galleries and museums including Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and Ohara Museum. His work is in the permanent collections of The National Museum of Art, Osaka, The Museum of Art, Ehime, etc.

Visiting professor in Tama Art University, Distinguished Guest Scholar in University of the Sacred Heart Tokyo.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2019
Sensory Cell 2019, KOTARO NUKAGA, Tokyo, Japan

2012
The World of Takubo Kyoji, The Museum of Art Ehime, Ehime, Japan

2011
Takubo Kyoji -Landscape of Kurashiki-, Ohara Museum of Art, Okayama, Japan
Kyoji Takubo Scenery Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

2001
TAKUBO 1974 – 2001 DE L’OBJET AU PAYSAGE, The Museum of Art Ehime, Ehime, Japan

1991
Takubo -Project of Chapelle de Saint-Vigor-de-Mieux and Recent Works, Chateau de la Fresnaye, Calvados, France

1988
Kyoji Takubo, The Hakone Open-Air Museum, Kanagawa, Japan

1986
Kyoji Takubo, Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1984
[Paris-Tokyo] Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition, Galerie Beaubourg, Paris, France
Kyoji Takubo, Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1982
OBELISK, Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1980
OBELISK, Tokiwa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1976
PACK EVENT, Gallery Nirenoki, Tokyo, Japan

1975
Joint Event〈The Story of Drinking Up a Bottle of Bourbon〉, Maki Gallery：Snack Keshigomu,Tokyo, Japan

1974
Display of Arts Objects, Gallery Nirenoki, Tokyo, Japan

1973
Image Judgement-V, Tokiwa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Image Judgement-Ⅳ, Gallery Nirenoki, Tokyo, Japan

1972
Image Judgement-Ⅲ, Muramatsu Gallery, Tamura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Image Judgement-Ⅱ：3・31 Event, Tamura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1971
Image Judgement-Ⅰ, Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

GROUP EXHIBITIONS (SELECTED)

2018
New Wave: Japanese Contemporary Art of the 1980s, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan

2016
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum’s 90th Anniversary Exhibition Dialogue with Trees ―Five Stories of Rebirth and Renewal, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

2008
KONPIRA-SAN Sanctuary of the Sea – Treasures of Japanese Painting, Guimet Museum, Paris, France
The Mural Art of Kotohira-gu Shrine, Mie Prefectural Art Museum, Mie, Japan

2007
The 30th Anniversary:Collection of the National Museum of Art, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan

1995
1945-1995 Japanese Culture: The Fifty Postwar Years, Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art,Fukuoka, Japan
1945-1995 Japanese Culture: The Fifty Postwar Years, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan
1945-1995 Japanese Culture: The Fifty Postwar Years, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Hyogo, Japan
1945-1995 Japanese Culture: The Fifty Postwar Years, Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan

1993
Exhibition of Landes Region Partners, Aquitaine Regional Council, Gironde, France
Exhibition of Landes Region Partners, Musée Despiau-Wlérick, Mont-de-Marsan, France

1992
AVANGUARDIE GIAPPONESI DEGLI ANNI 70, Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
My Home Sweet Home in Ruins The Urban Environment and Art in Japan, Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

1991
FIAC’91(Foire internationale d’art contemporain), Paris, France

1987
Absolute Scene – 1987, Construction site of FRU:X Gaien, Tokyo, Japan
The Tenth Anniversary Exhibition / PAINTING 1977-1987, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan
Art in Japan since 1969 / MONO-HA and POST MONO-HA, The Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
Contemporary Icon, The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan

1986
Contemporary Art・The Pioneers and The Present – From The Ohara Museum of Art Collection, Hall, Hyogo, Japan
For New Development of ‘Space, Material, Expression’, Institute Français, Tokyo, Japan

1985
Artists’ Books: JAPAN, Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Artists’ Books: JAPAN, Franklin Furnace, NY, USA
Beauty of Wood: Between Painting and Sculpture, Hokkaido Asahikawa Museum of Art, Hokkaido, Japan
2nd Asian Art Show, FUKUOKA, Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan
Another art museum〈Over the Dismantling〉, Iwaki City Art Museum, Fukushima, Japan
CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE IN JAPAN – WOOD, Kanagawa Kenmin Hall Gallery, Kanagawa, Japan

1984
Exchange d’Art Contemporain, [Tokyo – Paris] 8 + 8, Yurakucho Asahi Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Art Today, The Contemporary Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Artists Today, Yokohama Civic Art Gallery, Kanagawa, Japan
Forms of Today No. 2: Wood and Paper ─Dialogue with Nature─, The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, Gifu, Japan
41st Venice Biennale, Japanese Pavilion, Venice, Italy

1983
A Panorama of Contemporary Art in Japan-Sculptures, The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama, Toyama, Japan
Ten Years From the Turning Point of the Mid 70’s, Works of 9 Artists – To Question Quality, Gallery TE, Tokyo, Japan

1982
NOVEMBER STEPS – Artists Today, Yokohama Civic Art Gallery, Kanagawa, Japan
WOOD and PAPER WORKS ’82, GALLERY UEDA WAREHOUSE, Tokyo, Japan
Exhibition of parallelism in art, Ohara Center of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Drawing・Documenta, Kunsthalle Nüremberg , Nüremberg, Germany
International Graphic Art Exhibition, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, Basque, Spain

1981
Joint Exhibition of Shu Takagi, Sei-ichi Shimizu, Kyoji Takubo, Tokiwa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1979
Artists Today, Yokohama Civic Art Gallery, Kanagawa, Japan

1978
TOKYO GEIJUTSU – 4, Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1977
TOKYO GEIJUTSU – 4, Tamura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
9th Biennale de Paris, Palais de Tokyo, Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris, France

1976
The 3rd Kyoto Biennale, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Kyoto, Japan
Pan Conceptuals, Maki Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1975
9th Biennale de Paris, Musée d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France
9th Biennale de Paris, Musée national d’Art moderne, Paris, France

1974
11th Tokyo Biennale, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
11th Tokyo Biennale, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Kyoto, Japan

1973
〈Affair〉and〈Practice〉－12 Artists Exhibition, Pinar Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1971
6th International Biennale, Takanawa Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

1970
Joint Exhibition of 3 Artists, Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1969
Kohdo Art Exhibition, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
The Modern Art Exhibition, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

Born

Ehime, Japan, 1949

Resides

Lives and works in Chiba and Tokyo