Fifteen years is a short time for an artistic career, but for prolific painter Fumio Nambata (1941-1974), it was long enough to complete more than 2,000 works before his untimely death at age 32.

Though influenced by the 1960s culture of his youth, Nambata's illustrations of imaginary worlds, often portrayed in watercolors and ink, transcend time. He often referred to his images as future cities or visions beyond the universe, with his imagery refusing to focus on realism or follow any specific painting genre.

From the nearly 800 works of the Setagaya Art Museum collection, 250 have been selected for this exhibition, which includes "Ivan the Fool," a series of 12 works inspired by a short story by Leo Tolstoy; Dec. 6-Feb. 8.

Setagaya Art Museum; 1-2 Kinuta-koen, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. Yoga Stn. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ¥1,000. Closed Mon. 03-3415-6011; www.setagayaartmuseum.or.jp