Toshimitsu Imai

(Japanese, 1928–2002)

Toshimitsu Imai was an influential 20th-century Japanese painter. Best known for his monumental abstract works, Imai composed his canvases with a combination of thick impasto marks and fluid, inky lines to build chaotic, “allover” compositions. His striking works comprise of specifically delineated shapes, forms, and compositions, with his aesthetic often described as representative of a uniquely Japanese sensibility. The artist derived inspiration from a wide range of sources and time periods, including medieval history, philosophy, Fauvism, poetry, and song lyrics. He achieved widespread success in his lifetime, exhibiting alongside fellow leading abstract painters such as Sam Francis and Georges Mathieu. His work was notably featured at the Sao Paulo Biennial in 1953, Venice Biennale in 1960, the Japanese contemporary art exhibition in 1962, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 1982. Born in Kyoto, Japan on May 6, 1928, he died on March 3, 2002 at the age of 73 following a long illness.