Tatsuoki Nambata

1905 Born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido in 1905. The following year, he and his family moved to Tokyo.
1923 Entered Waseda First High School. Knows Kotaro Takamura.
1926 Entered the Faculty of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University (withdrew in 1927).
1927 Impressed by Van Gogh’s works, which he saw with Kotaro Takamura, and aspired to become a painter.
1928 Introduced to Riichiro Kawashima by Kotaro and studied under him.
1929 Exhibited at the 4th Kokuga-kai Exhibition (Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum) and was selected.
1933 Deepened his friendship with Matsumoto Shunsuke, Tsuruoka Masao, and others.
1935 Formed the group Form.
1937 Participated in the formation of the Jiyu Art Association. Continuously exhibited his works until the 23rd Exhibition. (Resigned in 1959).
1946 Participated in the establishment of the Japan Art Association as a committee member.
1953 Became a member of the Japan Branch of the International Art Club (Representative: Taro Okamoto).
1957 Became a lecturer at Bunka Fashion College (until March 1981). (until March 1981)
1961 Formed the Hokuso-kai (a group of eight abstract painters from Hokkaido).
1971 Received the Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon.
1974 His second son Fumio died in the Seto Inland Sea at the age of 32. The following year, his eldest son, Norio, also died.
1988 Awarded the 29th Mainichi Art Award (1987)
1995 Awarded the Hokkaido Shimbun Culture Prize.
1996: Awarded the Cultural Merit Award.
1997: Died of pneumonia at a hospital in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo in November at the age of 92.
1998 Tatsuoki Nambada & Fumio Memorial Museum of Art opened in Toyama City, Japan
1999 Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery opens, and his works are permanently installed in the “Terada Gallery.

Selected Exhibitions
1994 “Tatsuoki Nambada: After 1954 – Development of Abstraction, Echoes of Life” (Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo)
1989 “Time of Grottoes – Tatsuoki Nambada Solo Exhibition” (Ginza Art Center, etc.)
1987 “Today’s Artist: Tatsuoki Nambada Exhibition” (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)
1982 “Ryuki Nambada, Poet of Forms” (Hokkaido Asahikawa Art Museum, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art)
1978 “Tatsuki Nambada, Norio, Fumio” Ikeda 20th Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Ikeda, Japan
1977 “Recent Works by Tatsuoki Nambada” Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo
1973 “Development of Postwar Japanese Art: Diversification of Abstract Expression”, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
1963 “Trends in Contemporary Painting” (National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto)
1956 Exhibited at the World Art Today Exhibition
1953 “Nambada Tatsuoki Solo Exhibition”, Takemiya Gallery
1947 Exhibited at the 1st Exhibition of the Federation of Art Groups (and the next five exhibitions)
Exhibited at the 1st Independents Exhibition, organized by the Japan Art Association.
Exhibited at the 1st Independents Exhibition (sponsored by the Japan Art Association), and at other exhibitions in 1948, 1950, and 1952-1958.
1942 “The 1st Private Exhibition of Tatsuoki Nambada” (Seijusha Gallery, Ginza, Tokyo)
1930 “Nambada Tatsuoki Private Exhibition” (Hongo, Tokyo)

Exhibition after his death
2025 “Nambata Tatsuoki” (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery)
2025 “Yamaguchi Seijo and Nambata Tatsuoki” (Hokkaido Asahikawa Museum of Art)
2022 “Nambata Tatsuoki, Tsutaka Waichi, Shiraga Kazuo, Kusama Yayoi — Abstract Paintings from the Museum Collection” (Museum and Archives, Kyoto Institute of Technology)
2021 “Terada Kotaro: Records of Life — The Collection Forever” (Tama Art University Museum)
2021 “Donation Commemoration: Collector Terada Kotaro — Centering on Nambata Tatsuoki and Aigasa Masayoshi” (Waseda University Aizu Yaichi Memorial Museum)
2021 “Nambata Tatsuoki: Early Abstractions” (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery)
2019 “115th Anniversary of Birth: Kataoka Tamako and Nambata Tatsuoki” (Hokkaido Kushiro Art Museum)
2019 “Collector’s Tribute — In Memory of Terada Kotaro” (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery)
2017 “Reminiscing Nambata Tatsuoki” (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery)
2016 “Trembling Blue — Abstractions by Nambata Tatsuoki” (The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama)
2015 “The World of Nambata Tatsuoki and Fumio” (Waseda University Aizu Yaichi Memorial Museum)
2014 “Nambata Tatsuoki: Centering on the T Collection” (Okawa Museum of Art)
2001 “100th Anniversary of Birth: Nambata Tatsuoki — The Man and His Art” (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery)
1999 “Symphonic Poem of Life: Nambata Tatsuoki — Developments of Japanese Abstraction and Imagination” (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery)

Public Collection
Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
The National Museum of Art, Osaka
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
The Museum of Fine Arts, Toyama
Ishikawa Prefectural Art Museum, Ishikawa, Japan
Fukuoka Prefectural Art Museum
The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama
Shizuoka Prefectural Art Museum
Niigata City Art Museum
Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art
Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum
Tokushima Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Tokushima
Nakanoshima Art Museum, Osaka
Mie Prefectural Art Museum
Aomori Museum of Art
Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art
Asahikawa Museum of Art, Hokkaido
Hokkaido Shimbun
Sapporo Art Park Museum
Yokohama Museum of Art
Nerima Art Museum