Genpei Akasegawa 1937-2014

Studied at Musashino Art University and submitted his art work Yomiuri Independant Exhibition in 1958 and found Neo-Dada Organizers with Masanobu Yoshimura and Ushio Shinohara in 1960. In 1963, he formed the art collective Hi-Red Center with Jiro Takamatsu and Natsuyuki Nakanishi and Akasegawa presented his representative works “Model 1,000 yen Note” and “Impounded objects: Wrapped in Model 1,000-Yen Notes” also, he had some performance “Dropping Show” and “Be Clean! Campaign to promote Cleanliness and Order in Metropolitan Area” as a member of Hi-Red Center. In 1964, he was accused of making “Model 1,000 yen note” and 1,000-Yen Note Trial started and as a result, he was found guilty. From 1970 he started to writing a novel and a Manga, he released “Sakura Gaho” in 1971 and received the Akutagawa Prize for his short story “Chichi ga Kieta (Father Disappered)” under the pen name of Katsuhiko Otsuji in 1981. Screen play “Rikyu” in 1990 was nominated screen play of the year, the Japan Academy Film Prize. In other main books “Chogeijutsu Thomasson” in 1987, “Roujinryoku (The power of the Old)” in 1989. From 1980, he worked as new photographer’s group, “Chogeijutsu Tomasson (Hyperart: Thomasson)” and “Rojo Kansatsu Gakkai (Street Observation Society), “Leica Domei (Leica Alliance)” and in 1996, Akasegawa formed “Supporters of Japanese Art” with Yuji Yamashita, an art historian. Main exhibitions include” Genpei Akasegawa Photography," Yokohama Civic Art Gallery Azamino, Kanagawa in 2010; “Tokyo 1955-1970: A New Avant-Garde” Museum of Modern Art, New York in 2012; “Hi-Red Center: The Documents of Direct Action” Shoto Museum of Art, Tokyo in 2014; “The Principles of Art by Genpei Akasegawa” Chiba City Museum, Chiba in 2014; “L’image volée” Fondazione Prada, Milan in 2016.

His works are collected at The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Nagoya City Museum of Art, Aichi, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA and so on.