In 1954 Taro Okamoto finally realized his wish to open a studio on the site of the family home in Minami Aoyama where he had passed his childhood with his parents.
His objective was to create a base for a new art movement and so he named it the ‘Gendai Geijutsu Kenkyujo’ (Institute of Esthetic Research).
He tried to transmit the ‘spirit of 20th century art’ that he had experienced in Paris to Japan.
The design for the studio was carried out by a close friend from his Paris days, Junzo Sakakura, a leading Japanese architect who had studied under Le Corbusier. The construction was handled by Yutaka Murata who had been the final pupil to study under Le Corbusier. Although working within the restraints of a limited budget, these two architects succeeded in creating an original building perfectly suited to Taro Okamoto.
The completion of the studio allowed Taro to expand the range of his creative activities. Prior to this he had been known as Taro the painter, but inspired by this building, he began to pioneer work in a huge variety of genres, including murals, sculpture, pottery, product design, graphics, photography, etc.
He never moved from this site right up to his death in 1996. The ‘Tower of the Sun’, ‘Myth of Tomorrow’, ‘Tree of Children’… all of these great works were created here. It is a space that can truly be described as the ‘cradle of Okamoto’s aesthetics’
This exhibition will present the studio building and works that symbolize his subsequent creativity. In addition there will be a special corner where visitors can experience the ‘TARO space’. We hope that you will enjoy it.