Concept of Museum

Hiroshi Senju

I have always believed that beauty can be created by the harmony of dissimilar things. I had hoped that creating this museum with an avant-garde architect would result in a new kind of space seen nowhere else. And that is exactly what is happening. A brand-new type of space appeared before our eyes, one I have come across nowhere else in the world. Here surrounded by the nature of Karuizawa, a popular destination for escaping the heat of summer, we are building a museum full of light. My works are displayed by date, here in this ideal space. I will be most delighted if many visitors come to the museum and experience the feelings of beauty, courage and the power of life, and make new discoveries for themselves.

Hiroshi Senju

Photo: Kazuya Yamaguchi

Hiroshi Senju was president of Kyoto University of Art & Design from 2007 to 2013, presently professor of Kyoto University of the Arts, director of Koyodo Museum, president of joint education system of Kyoto University of Art & Design and Tohoku University of Art & Design, member of masters committee of L'ÉCOLE of Van Cleef & Arpels, and advisor of The Tokugawa Museum.

Hiroshi Senju website　
https://www.hiroshisenju.com/

1958: Nihonga artist born in Tokyo.
1982: Graduated Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Ｍusic,BFA.
1984: Completed his MFA,Graduate School of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Graduation work purchased by Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.
1987: Completed classes needed to obtain Ph.D.at the Graduate School of Fine Arts of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Thesis work purchased by the University of Tokyo.
1995: Received an Honorable Mention at the 46th La Biennale di Venezia, Italy as the first Asian to do so.
2006: The 6th Gwangju Biennale,Gwangju,Republic of Korea.
2007: Paintings on fusuma at Shofuso,Philadelphia,USA.
2009: Art House Project Ishibashi,Benesse Art Site Naoshima,Kagawa,Japan.
2010: Art direction for APEC Japan,2010,Yokohama,Japan.
2011: The 5th Chengdu Biennale,Chengdu,China.
Opening of the Hiroshi Senju Museum Karuizawa.
2013: Completed paintings on fusuma in Jukoin (main and branch temple), a sub-temple of Daitokuji Temple.
2015: The 56th La Biennale di Venezia,Italy.
2016: Added to art collection of world heritage site Yakushiji Temple.
Received Foreign Minister’s Commendation for FY 2016.
2017: Received Isamu Noguchi Award.
2018: Won the Eagle on the World Award (Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New York).
2018-2020: “Senju Hiroshi: Commemorating the Completion of Fusuma Paintings for Kongobuji Temple, Koyasan” exhibit went on tour.
2021: Received the 77th Imperial Prize and the Japan Art Academy Prize in 2020.
2022: Elected as a member of the Japan Art Academy.
Received The Fourth Kaneko Award Special Prize. (The America-Japan Society)
2023: It is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum and is currently on permanent display.
It has been housed in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the National Palace Museum, where it is on display from time to time.