Ken Matsubara was born in 1948 in Kamiichi Town, Toyama Prefecture, and has long maintained a studio in Nasushiobara City, Tochigi Prefecture, where he continues to create unique paintings and objects of art. Acclaimed as a Japanese painter, his pieces have been highly praised by the sculptor Isamu Noguchi and art critic Elise Grilli. From a young age, he studied under Inoue Sankou, and from his mid-30s he began creating abstract works featuring the theme of “sound.”

In 2011, he was commissioned by Seizou Hayashiya to create pieces for use in tea ceremonies. He chose the themes of “water” and “vista” to express the refined and dignified atmosphere of heaven and earth that cannot be seen with the naked eye. These works, which depict the inner voices of nature and the universe, were presented in a solo exhibition at the Ippodo Gallery in Manhattan, New York, in 2019. His works are also displayed at the Minneapolis Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and have attracted inquiries from collectors in San Francisco, as well as famous overseas hotels.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Ken Matsubara’s career as an artist, we are proud to present the deep charm hidden in his works, exhibited here in his birthplace of Toyama Prefecture.

Artist Profile:
1973: Independent Art (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum)
1977: First art exhibition, first art award (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum)
1987: The Ueno Royal Museum Painting Grand Prize Exhibition, Special Excellence Award (The Ueno Royal Museum)
1990: “Artists Succeeding the Next Generation” (Hakone Open-Air Museum, Kanagawa)
1991: “’91 Art of Toyama” (Toyama Prefectural Museum of Modern Art)
2001: “The 20th Century of Tochigi Art II: Millennium Door” (Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Art)
2006: “Ken Matsubara Exhibition” (Espace Bertin Poirée Gallery, Paris, France / Gallery TKW20, Cologne, Germany)
2008: “Ken Matsubara: Rebirth” (Organized by The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama City, Toyama)
2016: “A Solo Exhibition of Japanese Painter Ken Matsubara – Distillation -” (Ippodo Gallery, New York) “Ken Matsubara Exhibition: Wheel, One Drop” (Gallery NOW, Toyama)
2019: “Ken Matsubara – Sun Moon Nautical Star Charts -” (Wako Hall, Ippodo, New York Upper East 67th Street Gallery Grand Opening) “KŪKAI: Sun and Moon”
2022: “Chaos to the Cosmos: White Road Between Two Rivers” (Ippodo Gallery, New York)
In addition, there have been many solo and group exhibitions all over the country.