To celebrate the centenary of Kiyonaga Ito's birth, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art is holding a retrospective of the well-known painter's work. Born to a family who ran a Zen temple in Hyogo Prefecture, Ito (1911-2001) was expected to enter the priesthood. Instead, he chose to became a Western-style painter.
His religious upbringing is at times reflected in his work, such as in "The Story of Gautama, the Nativity" (1984) — a Buddhist-themed mural made of four 4-meter tall and 3-meter wide paintings -which was commissioned for Aichi Gakuin University's 100th anniversary.
The total of 70 works trace Ito's career from his early years, and include oil paintings and some sketches; Dec. 10-Jan. 22.
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art; (078) 262-0901; located in HAT Kobe, 1-1-1 Kaigan-dori, Wakihama, Chuo-ku, Kobe; 10-min. walk from Nada Station, JR Kobe Line, or 8-min. walk from Iwaya Station, Hanshin Honsen Line. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ¥1,200. Closed Mon., Dec. 31-Jan. 2; open holidays and closed the following day. www.artm.pref.hyogo.jp.
