Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art

Kobe native Ryohei Koiso enjoyed success early in his art career after graduating from the Tokyo University of the Arts in 1927 and studying in Europe. During World War II he was often commissioned to paint Japanese military scenes, but returned to mainstream painting following the conclusion of the war. His works often demonstrated Western painting techniques and centered on motifs involving religion, women, and the human form. This exhibition, held 30 years after Koiso’s death, is comprised of a number of the artist’s masterpieces, as well as pieces by contemporary Western artists whose artworks were also inspired by the events of the 20th century.