Yoshitaka Amano is a multidisciplinary Japanese artist who, in a career spanning over four decades, found success as a character designer, illustrator, scenic designer, and costume designer. Influenced by Western comic books, Japanese woodblock prints, and art nouveau, Amano has become known for the vibrant use of colour and distinctive thin line work that form his alien-like caricatures.
Read MoreBeginning his career as a character designer for animation series such as Speed Racer and Gatchaman (G-Force), Amano later extended his practice by illustrating magazines and books, such as the Vampire Hunter D series, in the early 80s, and exploring stage and costume design. Amano’s skill lies in his ability to allude to particular narratives in his illustrations of his science-fiction characters. This is arguably the most important aspect of his comic or animation work.
Iconic characters created by Amano - such as Gatchaman, The Time Bokan, and Hutch the Honeybee - have cemented the artist’s position as a leading creative in Japan and worldwide. Amano is celebrated as a successful artist both within the world of fine art and the world of qnimation. His most notable works have included commissioned illustrations for the acclaimed Final Fantasy video-game series, which has become one of the most successful games of all time.
Yoshitaka Amano’s art is held in collections at the Uenonomori Museum, Tokyo; the Orlean Museum of Art, France; the Barbican Centre, London; The Angel Orensanz Foundation, New York; and the Kunstverein Heilbronn, Germany. In 2013, Amano was selected to present work at the 55th Venice Biennale. He has been the recipient of the Seiun Award five times and, in 1999, received the Bram Stoker Award for his illustrations for Neil Gaiman’s Sandman: The Dream Hunters. In 2010 he established a film production company, Studio Devaloka.
