The Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo, will be holding a special exhibition, "The Road to the Tower of the Sun," from May 30 to October 14.

《Holiday》1963
In March of this year, the Tower of the Sun was finally reborn, with its interior restored for the first time in half a century and reborn as a permanent exhibition facility. Taking this opportunity, in the previous special exhibition, we looked back on the history of Taro Okamoto's involvement in the Osaka Expo as a producer in 1967, to the restoration of the tower's interior in 2018, in order to consider what the Tower of the Sun is and what Taro Okamoto was trying to communicate at the Osaka Expo. This time, with the desire to look at "Expos and Taro" from a different angle, we will focus on Taro's work from the 1960s, which was the period leading up to the Osaka Expo.

《Caress》
Taro's style changed dramatically in the 1960s. Previously, his works featured numerous motifs densely packed together with delicate brushstrokes. Instead, abstract, black motifs resembling Sanskrit characters, with a magical quality, began to take center stage. His journeys of discovery of primitive Japan, spanning the Jomon period, Tohoku, and Okinawa, were no doubt a major influence. And perhaps this is the hidden theme behind the Tower of the Sun and the Osaka Expo Theme Pavilion.

This exhibition offers a bird's-eye view of approximately 20 oil paintings, drawings, sculptures, and other works from the 1960s that are filled with a magical aura, allowing visitors to experience Taro on the eve of the Expo. Here lies another circuit for sensing the Tower of the Sun.

During the exhibition, 15-minute gallery talks will be held from 2 p.m. on June 7, July 12, August 23, and September 13. No reservations are required, and dates are subject to change. From June 13 to July 2, there will be a special exhibition of new works by Naoki Yamamoto, winner of the 20th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art.