Takesada Matsutani

(Japanese, born 1937)

Takesada Matsutani is a Japanese painter, sculptor, and printmaker belonging to the second-generation group of avant-garde Gutai artists. Inspired by glue as a medium, Matsutani is best known for his canvas reliefs utilizing blown air into vinyl glue to produce bulbous ridges and bodily shapes protruding from his paintings’ surfaces. “I quickly discovered its sensual quality,” he explained of his interest in glue, “and from then on I would always strive for a certain sensuality in my work, coming from the materials themselves.” Over time, he has implemented new methods of shaping his distinctive works, adding graphite powder to make vinyl appear vaporous and shiny. Born on January 1, 1937 in Osaka, Japan, Matsutani studied traditional Japanese nihonga painting before traveling to Paris, where he apprenticed in Stanley William Hayter’s engraving atelier for six years. Today, his works can be found in the collections of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and The Albertina Museum in Vienna, among others. Matsutani lives and works between Paris, France and Nishinomiya, Japan.