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1911 |
Born on February 26 in Kawasaki as eldest son of cartoonist Ippei Okamoto and poetess and novelist Kanoko. |
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1929 |
Enters the oil painting department of the Tokyo Fine Arts School. Accompanies his parents to Europe in December, and starts living in Paris in January of the following year. |
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1932 |
Electrified by paintings of Picasso into pursuing abstract arts. |
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1933 |
Becomes a member of the Abstraction-Creation group to associate with avant-garde artists until 1937, before he begins to pursue more concrete expression. |
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1938 |
Studies ethnology under Professor Marcel Mauss at the University of Paris.
Exhibits Wounded Arm at the International Surrealist Exhibition in Paris. |
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1939 |
Associates with Georges Bataille and other thinkers around this time.
His mother Kanoko dies at the age of 49. |
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1940 |
Returns to Japan following the German invasion of France. |
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1941 |
Exhibits works produced while staying in Europe to the 28th Nika Exhibition held by Nika-kai(a group of anti-mainstream artists), and receives the Nika Prize. |
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1942 |
Sent to the Chinese front as a private and returns to Tokyo in 1946 to find all his works burned in an air raid. |
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1947 |
Begins to emphasize Taikyoku-ism (polarism) as the core of his artistic principle. |
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1948 |
Establishes Yoru-no-kai (the Night Society) with critic Kiyoteru Hanada and others to explore various themes to integrate avant-garde art and literature.
His father Ippei dies at the age of 62. |
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1949 |
Submits Heavy Industry to the 34th Nika Exhibition, and Law of the jungle to the 35th exhibition the following year. |
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1952 |
Publishes Thoughts on Jomon Earthenware in an art magazine Mizue, highlighting the beauty of the primitive artifacts in the prehistoric Jomon period. |
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1954 |
Submits work to the 27th Venice Biennale.
Moves the studio to Aoyama and establishes the Gendai Geijutsu Kenkyusyo (Institute of Esthetic Research).
Publishes Today's Art, which becomes a best-seller. |
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1956 |
Executes ceramic relief murals for the old Tokyo Metropolitan Government building. |
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1970 |
Serves as Theme Producer of the Expo '70 in Osaka, the first worlds' fair held in Asia, and builds the Tower of the Sun in the Symbol Zone. |
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1981 |
Holds a solo exhibition at the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art.
Appears in commercial, popularizing the phrase:"Art is explosion." |
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1991 |
"Taro Okamoto-Outstanding Talent from Kawasaki" exhibition held at the Kawasaki City Museum.
Donates principal works to Kawasaki City in December. |
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1993 |
Becomes an honorary citizen of Kawasaki City. |
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1996 |
Dies of acute respiratory dysfunction on January 7. |
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| 《Wounded Arm》 1941 |
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| making "law of the jungle"(1950) |
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| Jomon pottery（photo by Taro Okamoto, 1956） |
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| making the prototype of "Tower of the Sun" （1967） |
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| TV commercial(HITACHI maxell, 1981) |
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