Mitsumasa Anno: Visions and Landscapes ―The Appeal of Picture-book Originals

Mitsumasa Anno《さかさま》1969　©空想工房

We are now holding “Mitsumasa Anno: Visions and Landscapes―The Appeal of Picture-book Originals,” introducing the works of Mitsumasa Anno, an internationally renowned painter and picture book illustrator.

Born in Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture in 1926, Anno worked as a teacher after the war before moving into the fields of painting, book binding and design. In 1968 he made his debut as a picture book illustrator with “Mysterious Pictures” (Fushigi na E). His wordless picture books were rare at that time and attracted attention both in Japan and abroad. His mysterious worlds that employ optical illusions piqued the curiosity of readers and captured the hearts of children. Next, Anno then created numerous, beautiful and elaborately detailed picture books which were both mysterious and entertaining such as “Upside-Downers: More Pictures to Stretch the Imagination (Sakasama),” “Anno’s Animals (Mori no Ehon)” and “The King’s Flower (Okina Monono Sukina Osama).” Those works grew to be widely beloved by children and adults alike, and Anno received various awards such as the Hans Christian Andersen Medal and the Kikuchi Kan Prize, etc.

This exhibition features approximately 130 works with the themes of “fantasy” and “landscapes.” The original, charming picture book illustrations are on display such as those from Anno’s debut picture book, “Mysterious Pictures (Fushigi na E),” one of his most famous works, “Anno’s Journey” (Tabi no Ehon), and “Wildflowers and Fairies (No no Hana to Kobitotachi)” which features vibrant depictions of flowers, etc. The exhibition also introduces numerous landscapes that Anno painted during his travels as an artist across Europe and various regions of Japan. Furthermore, there is even a special exhibition of works with scenes from landscapes in Ogoshi-mura, Kagawa Prefecture (now Sakaide City) that Anno painted when he was sent there in 1945 at age 19 as a soldier in the Japanese army. Anno has possessed an extremely active imagination ever since he was a child. Please fully enjoy these pictures from his world that unlock hearts entertainingly, comfortably and kindly.