Exhibition Design by Emerging Architect Hideyuki Nakayama

Christian Bonnefoi was born in France in 1948. He began his career as an art historian, but in 1970, he was deeply moved by the relief-like sculpture "Dos (Back)" he encountered at an Henri Matisse exhibition, which inspired him to become a painter.


Since then, his creative activities have focused on the material aspects of painting, aiming for works that stand as independent objects through the use of translucent materials. His stoic works, which connect to the context of minimalism, physically and philosophically explore questions of traditional painting and are held in public collections in France and around the world.


This exhibition, his first solo show in Japan, takes a retrospective approach, introducing Bonnefoi's representative works by series. Pieces that recur over the years, such as "Babel," "Eureka," and "Back," as well as new works like "Zodiacal Constellations Seated Above Ginza," are on display.


The exhibition design is by emerging architect Hideyuki Nakayama. He has lightly reconfigured the forum's space with white walls, expressing a new dimension of the artworks' appeal.



Bonnefoi says, "I realized I had been striving for over 30 years to see the front of Matisse's 'Dos (Back).'" This is a rare opportunity to see his works, created by someone who considers himself a practitioner of painting, gathered together for the first time in Japan. Don't miss it.