Violet, 1952, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Museum of Art (oil on canvas, 108.4 x 80.0 cm)
A retrospective exhibition commemorating the 120th anniversary of the birth of Western-style painter Togo Seiji, "120 Years Since the Birth of Togo Seiji: The Secret of Lyricism and Beauty," will be held from September 16th to November 12th at the Togo Seiji Memorial Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Museum of Art in Shinjuku, Tokyo. This retrospective, his first in Tokyo in 20 years, brings together rare artworks and documents from across Japan, including private collections on public display for the first time, ranging from works from his first solo exhibition, which catapulted him to the spotlight as a "Futurist" avant-garde newcomer, to his sweet, feminine paintings that became widely popular after the war. Divided into four chronological chapters, the exhibition explores how the distinctive style known as the "Togo Style" was formed. Chapter 1, "The Burning of Inner Life," focuses on works from 1915 to 1928. The exhibition includes vivid and bold early works, such as "Woman with a Parasol" (1916), his debut work, which was exhibited at the Nikaten Exhibition at the age of 19 and won an award, and "Sultimbank" (1926), painted during his seven-year stay in France, where he also had connections with Picasso, as well as profound and nostalgic works from his time in Europe. Chapter 2, "Love and Modernism," focuses on works from 1928 to the early 1930s, showcasing melancholic and sophisticated oil paintings he produced after returning from France, design work including bookbindings and magazine cover art, and materials demonstrating his connections with Kawabata Yasunari and Uno Chiyo. Chapter 3, "Western Masterpieces and Bijin-ga," brings together works from the late 1930s to 1944, a period when Togo's life is said to have undergone major changes. Featured on the exhibits are a pair of murals he created in collaboration with the painter Tsuguharu Foujita (also known as Léonard Foujita) for the Marubutsu Department Store in Kyoto, a small work depicting a delicate and pretty girl, and "Murasaki" (1939), a work exhibited at the Nika Exhibition and considered the pinnacle of prewar bijin-ga. The final chapter, Chapter 4, "Flowers of Reconstruction," introduces works produced between 1945 and 1950, shortly after the end of the war, including sketches for a mural on the Asahi Kaikan building in Kyoto, rare mosaic tile paintings, and examples of works from after the establishment of the "Togo style," which combined lyricism and decorative beauty.