To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Azumino Chihiro Art Museum, the "Chihiro by Isao Takahata: Welcome! Into Chihiro's Paintings" exhibition will be held from March 1st to May 9th.
Takahata, who founded Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki and has always been active at the forefront of animation, first encountered Chihiro Iwasaki's picture books about 50 years ago. At the time, Takahata's eldest daughter brought home a picture book from nursery school called "Living Alone on a Rainy Day." Captivated by the short, poetic words and illustrations that make use of watercolor bleeds, Takahata encountered Chihiro's work in real time when she began to enthusiastically pursue new forms of picture book expression, and has since drawn creative inspiration from her books. The exhibition will feature works such as "Home Alone on a Rainy Day," "The Devil's Hat," and "Children in Fire." Takahata has selected Chihiro's paintings and reproduced them in high-resolution, enlarged versions, allowing visitors to enjoy the brushstrokes and overlapping paints as if they were immersed in the painting. In particular, "Children in Fire" is a work that Takahata showed to his young production staff when he was directing the animated film "Grave of the Fireflies," encouraging them to enhance their imaginations and pursue more realistic expression. This exhibition will allow you to discover the appeal of Chihiro's paintings from Takahata's unique perspective, allowing you to experience a new world.
[Exhibition Information]
"Chihiro Created by Isao Takahata: Welcome! Into Chihiro's Paintings"
Venue: Azumino Chihiro Art Museum, Exhibition Rooms 1 & 2
Address: 3358-24 Nishihara, Matsukawa-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano Prefecture
Dates: March 1st - May 9th
Hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm (until 6:00pm from April 29th - May 7th)
Closed: March 22nd, April 12th, 26th
Admission: 800 yen for adults, free for high school students and younger
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