Nihonga Avant-Garde Exhibition at Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art

The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art presents "Nihonga Avant-Garde: Kyoto 1948–1970" in its Higashiyama Cube, featuring three avant-garde movements—Pan Real, Cella Art Association, and Sozo Bijutsu—that emerged from a disaffection with traditional Nihonga painting. Nihonga originated in the Meiji period to preserve Japanese classical aesthetics while incorporating Western realism. Post-war, artists like Sawa Kojin, Yamazaki Takashii, Mikami Makoto, Shimomura Ryonosuke, Nomura Ko, Ono Hidetaka, and Sakaki Ken pivoted toward Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. Works such as Sawa's "Coastal Erosion" and Yamazaki's "Seashore" evoke Max Ernst's supernatural landscapes, while Mikami's "Symbol of Reincarnation" suggests LSD-like hallucinations. Ono's "Circle" and Sakaki's "Opus.63-4" exemplify minimalist tendencies. The exhibition runs through May 6, 2026, at 124 Okazaki Enshojicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, Japan.