ARTISTS

Kakuzo Namba (1911-96) was born in the Katsuyama district of what is now the city of Maniwa in Okayama Prefecture. After graduating from night school at Kansai University while working as an official of Osaka Prefectural Government, he devoted himself to studies at the Nakanoshima Laboratory of Western Painting. Before the outbreak of World War II, he showed works at the Nika Exhibition and other venues. He also took part in the Kyushitsukai, which was organized by Taro Okamoto and Jiro Yoshihara, among others, and was given high ratings for his works. After the war, he immediately rushed back to Katsuyama, but then moved to Tokyo. There, he produced art while teaching, and showed works mainly at the Action Art Association. Although influenced by surrealism, his style stayed rooted in reality. He explored paintings that told stories of sentiment and ideas, and had an element of social critique. His works sometimes depicted the world’s contradictions and injustices with a humorous flair. In these, we can also feel a sense of pity for the foolishness of humanity in dire circumstances.

The main exhibitions showing his works in recent years include Living the Times, Transcending the Times: Japanese Modern Painting from the 1920s to the 1950s, from the Collection of the Itabashi Art Museum (Gunma Museum of Art, Tatebayashi, 2018) and the Maniwa Juzo Kinen: Kakuzo Mamba Exhibition - Looking at the World of People (Hishio, Centre for Cultural Exchange, Katsuyama, 2023).