"Genichiro Inokuma: Cats," an exhibition featuring works by Kagawa Prefecture-born painter Genichiro Inokuma, will be held at Bunkamura The Museum in Shibuya from March 20th to April 18th.


Inokuma was acquainted with Matisse before the war, and after the war, he was based in New York for 20 years, and later also worked in Hawaii. Inokuma, a painter who repeatedly experimented in the prosperous Showa art world, always maintained his own unique style and left behind a body of highly distinctive work. Known as an avid cat lover, he "kept a dozen cats at once," and cats were an important motif in both his personal life and his artwork. Surrounded by so many cats, he created a wide variety of works, including realistic sketches, simple line drawings, and deformed oil paintings. This exhibition will showcase over 100 of his works from multiple perspectives, including his style, technique, and combinations with other motifs. The exhibition, which also includes works with subjects other than cats, was designed to provide an opportunity to experience Inokuma's profound artistic world. Affectionately known locally as "Inokuma-san," his 2015 "Cats" exhibition at the Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art in Kagawa Prefecture garnered attention, attracting not only art enthusiasts but also cat lovers from across the country. This exhibition further enhances that exhibition, adding works with subjects other than cats.


Inokuma once said, "I don't really like the cats that have been depicted so many times. So I wanted to try depicting cat shapes and colors in a way that no one had done before." ("Autumn of Art: "Red Clothes and a Cat," Hochi Shimbun, October 4, 1949), and "I often paint things I love. That's because beauty is found in what we love." ("'Walking Classroom' Sketching Club Album," Shonen Asahi, December 1950). Why not enjoy his unique "Cats," a combination of his objective perspective on cats as motifs and his reverence for them as friends?

Regular advance tickets (general/1,100 yen including tax, university and high school students/700 yen including tax, middle and elementary school students/400 yen including tax) and limited-edition advance tickets with original tin badges (general only/1,400 yen including tax) are on sale until March 19th.