Takeo Yamaguchi was born in Keijo (present day Seoul) in 1902 (and passed in 1983). He graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1927. He traveled to France that same year and stayed for three years. Through his exchanges with Yuzo Saeki and Ossip Zadkine, Yamaguchi began making works with the aim of apprehending the framework and substance of objects.
Read MoreAfter returning to Japan in 1931, Yamaguchi submitted work to the Nika Exhibition on Ikuma Arishima's recommendation. Yamaguchi continued to submit works to the Nika Exhibitions until 1962, excluding the wartime and postwar years in which the exhibition was canceled. In 1933, he exhibited in the Modern Room No.9, established by Seiji Togo and others for avant-garde artists for the 20th anniversary of the Nika Association.
In 1938, the 'Room No. 9 Association' was formed by Yamaguchi, Giichi Minegishi, Jiro Yoshihara, Yukiko Katsura and others, all of whose works had been exhibited in Modern Room No. 9. The Association became central to the promotion of avant-garde painting in Japan. In 1946, Yamaguchi left Keijo and returned to Japan. In 1953, he participated in the establishment of the 'Japan Abstract Art Club.'
He also taught younger artists, becoming professor at Musashino Art University in 1954 and dean at Musashino Art School in 1982. His solo exhibitions include "TAKEO YAMAGUCHI Exhibition", Minami Gallery (Tokyo, 1961); "Yamaguchi Takeo Exhibition", Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art (Fukuoka, 1980); "Takeo Yamaguchi Exhibition" Kagoshima City Museum of Art and traveled to other locations (1993-1994). His international exhibitions include the 18th American Abstract Art Exhibition (1954); the 3rd Sao Paulo Biennial (1955); the 28th Venice Biennial (1956); Guggenheim International Award exhibition (1958). His awards include the 1st Contemporary Art Exhibition of Japan, Prize of Excellence (1954); The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture's Art Encouragement Prize (1961).
Text courtesy Taka Ishii Gallery
