We are pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition, KINUTANI Art Place Hiroo 2nd Exhibition: Painting on Walls ──Koji Kinutani’s Murals.
We look forward to welcoming you to the museum.
“I believe the act of painting was a endeavor to remove every spiritual and physical barrier surrounding us.“
──Koji Kinutani*
In 1971, painter Koji Kinutani (1943–2025) traveled to Italy to study fresco, a classical Western mural technique. Before long, Kinutani began applying fresco-technique undercoatings to canvas, creating works that can truly be described as “murals painted on canvas.”
Throughout his career, Kinutani explored his artistic practice through a fascination with all manner of walls—from ancient murals like those in the Altamira Caves and the Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb to damaged heritage such as the burned murals of Horyu-ji Temple’s Main Hall and the Berlin Wall.
While a wall serves to protect against wind and external threats, it simultaneously represents a “spiritual and physical barrier.” For Kinutani, painting murals was an act of liberating people from the “sufferings and misfortunes that weigh heavily upon humanity,” which walls embody.
This exhibition re-examines the meaning of painting on walls through fresco works, canvas paintings employing adapted fresco techniques, and three-dimensional sculptures that evolved from them.
*Koji Kinutani, “The Day the Wall Collapsed,” in The Wall Dreams of Twenty Billion Light Years, Bijutsu Nenkan-sha, 1992, p. 33.
KINUTANI Art Place Hiroo 2nd Exhibition
Painting on Walls ──Koji Kinutani’s Murals
Dates
October 8, 2026 – March 28, 2027
Hours
Thu & Fri: 1:00 PM–5:00 PM
Sat: 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Special Opening Days: Oct 12 (Mon), Nov 22 (Sun), Nov 23 (Mon), 2026,
Jan 24 (Sun), Mar 28 (Sun), 2027: 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Extended Evening Hours: Oct 30 (Fri), Nov 27 (Fri), Dec 18 (Fri), 2026,
Jan 29 (Fri), Feb 26 (Fri), Mar 26 (Fri), 2027: 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Gallery Talk: 7:00 PM – 7:30 PM)
*Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.
**Closed from December 31, 2026 through January 2, 2027.
***The museum may close temporarily in the event of disasters or expected transit disruptions.
Admission
Adults ¥900
University & High School Students ¥700
Junior High School Students and Younger: Free
*Please present a valid student ID.
**Free admission for visitors presenting proof of disability and one accompanying caregiver.
Venue
KINUTANI Art Place Hiroo（Takara Building 5F, 5-25-4 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku Tokyo, Japan）
Organized by
Koji Kinutani Art Foundation