100th Anniversary of the Birth of Toyofuku Tomonori Exhibition

2025/04/19 2025/05/06

TOKYO

100th Anniversary of the Birth of Toyofuku Tomonori Exhibition
April 19 (sat) - May 11 (sun), 2025
Open every day during the exhibition period 10am-6pm
Venue: Mizoe Art Gallery, Tokyo

Gallery Talk "Bygone Days of the Maestro "
Date and time：April 19 (sat) from 3pm
Speaker：Mitsukuni Takimoto (Sculptor, studied under Tomonori Toyofuku from 1977)

This year will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tomonori Toyofuku, who passed away six years ago. While studying Japanese literature in Tokyo, he volunteered for a suicide mission and came to terms with death. However, the war ended soon after, and so, he returned to his hometown and picked up a chisel. Quickly did he make his mark, exhibiting works at the Venice Biennale in 1960 and moving to Milan, Italy, where he worked on his artistry with global success for 40 years. I met the artist after his return to Japan, living a quiet life. Captivated by him and his work, I vow to continue honoring his great achievements.
The forms of his work flow with elegance, and through the oval holes rhythmically and firmly chiseled from both sides, intersects light and breezes wind. Poured into every movement of the chisel is an unparalleled love for his home country and pride as a Japanese citizen. On display will be recently acquired works created during his period in Italy, spanning from wood and bronze sculptures to drawings, as well as those left behind in his studio.
Please come and see the world of Tomonori Toyofuku, which unceasingly captivates on the global stage.
Kazunobu Abe, Mizoe Art Gallery

1925 Born in Fukuoka, Japan.
1959 Received the 2nd Takamura Kotaro Award.
1960 Participated at the 30th Venice Biennale (Venice, Italy).
Moves to Milan, Italy.
1964 Participated at the Carnagie International, held at the Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, USA), in which he received the William Frew Memorial Prize.
1970 Participated at the Japan World Exposition Art Museum Exhibition: Modern Dynamism (Osaka, Japan).
1978 Received the Grand Prize at the 10th Japan Art Awards.
Toyofuku Tomonori Exhibition held at the Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art (Fukuoka, Japan).
1983 “Seki-sei-tei” commissioned for Kurume-city Central Park.
Received the 9th Isoya Yoshida Award.
1990 Received the 31st Mainichi Art Award.
1993 Awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon by the Government.
1994 Tomonori Toyofuku Exhibition ~Between Abstract and Figurative~ held at Mitaka City Gallery of Art (Tokyo, Japan).
1996 Installation of the repatriation commemoration monument “Nanotsu-Okan” at the Chuo wharf of Hakata (Fukuoka, Japan).
2005 Received the 13th Fukuoka Prefectural Culture Award (Special Category).
2019 Passed away in Fukuoka city on May 18th.

Public collections
National Gallery of Moderna and Contemporary Art, Rome, Italy
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan
The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan
Mitaka City Gallery of Art, Tokyo
The Utsukushi-ga-hara Open-Air Museum, Nagano
Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, Fukuoka
Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka
Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Fukuoka
Kurume City Art Museum, Fukuoka

Location: TOKYO; 3-19-16 Denenchofu, Ota-ku, Tokyo 145-0071
Dates: 2025/04/19-2025/05/06
Opening hours: 10:00am-6:00pm
Closed days: on Mondays and Tuesdays.