Tamiji Kitagawa, a Japanese in Mexico

Tamiji Kitagawa was a Japanese painter, printmaker, and art teacher who passed away in 1989. Kitagawa's works not only depict scenes of the daily life of urban and rural workers, but also political events. His artistic practice synthesized Western traditions of post-impressionist, expressionist, cubist, and surrealist painting with Mexican modernist painting. Many of his works were influenced by his study of Mexican muralism, which Kitagawa combined with Japanese art traditions of Nihonga, ink painting, and ceramics. Kitagawa lived and worked as a painter and art teacher in Mexico in the 1920s and 1930s, when the country was still in turmoil after years of revolution. He returned to Japan in 1936 and became known for the highly critical social perspective of his work. After World War II, he established his practice in Aichi Prefecture, where he painted large murals and promoted a more creative approach to art education. Commemorating the 130th anniversary of his birth, this retrospective presents the many aspects of his artistic practice through the exhibition of approximately 180 works, including 70 oil paintings, 70 watercolors, sketches, prints and other materials.