YOSHIHARA Jiro

The painter, art educator and curator Yoshihara Jiro was born into a wealthy family in Osaka. Having been enthusiastic about painting in his youth, he later became deeply interested in the artistic developments taking place in Europe among the Post-Impressionists, Surrealists and others. Although he joined his family’s business (the Yoshihara Oil Mill), he continued to paint and to explore work that reflected these influences, as well as modern Japanese painting styles. He also played a key role in furthering the development of art and culture in the region through the activities of various groups for both artists and scholars. Yoshihara’s paintings were widely exhibited in Japan and abroad – particularly his ‘Circle’ series of the 1960s, consisting of single bold circles on a plain background. He is perhaps best known for having established the avant-garde Gutai Bijutsu Kyokai (Gutai Art Association), which produced a journal and staged regular exhibitions, with the intention of encouraging innovative, experimental and original Japanese art. Gutai ran from 1955 until Yoshihara’s death in 1972.