Masuo Ikeda

Masuo Ikeda (February 23, 1934 – March 8, 1997) was a prolific Japanese artist who worked across a wide range of disciplines beyond traditional art, including painting, printmaking, illustration, sculpture, ceramics, literature, and film directing.

In 1951, he won the Atelier Award for his oil painting Landscape with a Bridge at the inaugural All-Japan Student Oil Painting Competition.

In 1957, he was selected for the Tokyo International Print Biennale, and in 1960, he received the Minister of Education Award at the same event, bringing him significant recognition.

In 1965, Ikeda became the first Japanese artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, garnering international acclaim.

In 1966, at the age of 32, he won the International Grand Prize in the Printmaking Category at the Venice Biennale—one of the highest honors for a printmaker, second only to Munakata Shikō.

In 1977, Ikeda was awarded the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for his novel Aegean Sea.