A solo exhibition of the works of Japanese-style painter Hiromitsu Kato will be held during the cherry blossom season, two years after the solo exhibition in Salamanca, Spain that became the final show of his life
“ Many thanks for the brilliance of spring — God’s creativity.” Hiromitsu’s note, April 2, 2015
Starting on Wednesday, March 3, Gallery KITAI will hold “Hiromitsu Kato Hanami – Sakura Viewing -,” an exhibition of selected works by the late Japanese-style painter Hiromitsu Kato depicting sakura (cherry blossoms), a subject he continued to pursue and paint right up to the end of his life. On April 10, 2019, Kato, an artist of Japanese painting, died while he was at work in his atelier in Ranzan, Saitama Prefecture. He was 62 years old. Earlier in the same year, a solo exhibition of his works was held from February 8 to March 7 at the Empress Michiko Hall, permitted to be named after the present Empress Emerita, of the Spanish-Japanese Cultural Center, Salamanca University, which was widely covered by local media including TV, newspapers and online publications. Two years have passed since that exhibition and the season of cherry blossoms will soon to be upon us again, the COVID-19 pandemic notwithstanding. At Gallery KITAI, located near the Chidorigafuchi Moat, one of the best-known cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo, we will exhibit selected works by Kato of sakura, a subject that he continued to pursue and paint right up to the end of his life. Kato’s sakura, painted as nothing but layer upon layer of petals by the tens of thousands in pursuit of the one single petal of revelation, representing his unique outlook on the world, along with a black background featuring an appearance that varies according to the angle of light. We invite you to visit us to view the cherry blossoms, both those adorning the Chidorigafuchi Moat and Hiromitsu Kato’s sakura that will be blossoming inside the gallery.