Tamiji Kitagawa (1894-1989) was a painter and art educator who worked in Mexico. After returning to Japan, he was active in the Western painting scene, based in Tokyo and Aichi, and also engaged in children's art education and mural production. This retrospective exhibition, which marks nearly 30 years since his last retrospective, will reconsider Kitagawa's belief in art, which he pursued both in Mexico and after returning to Japan, taking into account his interactions with artists and art movements during his time in Mexico.
Additionally, this exhibition will focus on Kitagawa's role as an art educator. Drawing on his experience as a teacher at an outdoor art school in Mexico, he founded a children's art school in Japan and collaborated with art critic Teijiro Kubo to create picture books, aiming to nurture creativity in children. We will introduce his innovative approaches and methods, along with his students' works and materials from that time, which continue to inspire today.
Through approximately 180 works and materials, including around 70 paintings, this exhibition will explore the various facets of Tamiji Kitagawa, who was not only a Western painter and muralist but also a picture book creator and art educator.
8 minute walk from exit 5 at Fushimi Station on the Tozai and Tsurumai subway lines, 7 minute walk from exit 2 at Osu Kannon Station on the Tsurumai subway line, 10 minute walk from exit 4 at Yabacho Station on the Meijo subway line.