Japanese painter Sho Ishimoto (1920-2015) is known for his sensual depictions of “Maiko” and female nude. To mark the centenary of his birth, a large-scale retrospective exhibition will be held for the first time in Kyoto, the artist’s former base of activity. Ishimoto was born in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, and studied Japanese painting at what is now Kyoto City University of Arts. He later studied and absorbed a wide range of medieval art from Europe as well as Japan. The passionate and realistic images of “Maiko” and female nude he established broke the mold in the representation of the human body in post-war Japanese painting.
This exhibition brings together a total of approximately 140 works collected from all over Japan, including works never seen before outside the gates of Sho Ishimoto’s private museum, Sekisho Art Museum. This exhibition aims to look back on the full scope of his 75-year painting career. Newly discovered drawings from his studio after his death and the unfinished ‘Maiko’ are also displayed, providing an insight into the life and creative origins of Ishimoto, who never sought status or fame, but lived a life dedicated to painting until his last moments.