Ikko Tanaka

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Ikko Tanaka ( Jap. 田中一光 , Tanaka Ikko * 13. January 1930 in Nara , Nara Prefecture , Japan ; † 10. January 2002 in Tokyo ) was a Japanese graphic artist and graphic designer , specializing in commercial art and internationally known for his poster art .

life and work

Ikkō Tanaka studied until 1950 at the Kyōto Municipal Art School . From 1950 to 1952 he worked in the Kanebō spinning mills, for which he designed textile patterns. Then he worked for the publishing house of Sankei Shimbun as an exhibition designer . In 1963 he set up his own design studio in Tokyo. In the 1960s he was a lecturer at the Graphic Institute in Kuwazawa.

After 1975 he worked as the art director of the Seibu department store chain . He designed the corporate identity of this department store group and the appearance of the associated cultural institutions, including the Seibu Theater and the Sezon Museum of Art in Tokyo.

Ikkō Tanaka is considered to be one of the most important graphic designers in Japan today. His diverse oeuvre includes poster designs , book illustrations and magazine designs, logos and signets and packaging. He was also engaged in experimental calligraphy . His clients included international companies such as Shiseido , Issey Miyake , Hanae Mori and Salvatore Ferragamo . He co-founded the Nippon Design Center in Tokyo in 1960 with Yūsaku Kamekura . In 1964, his works were shown in the graphics department at documenta III in Kassel .

In 1970 Tanaka designed the Pavilion of Japanese History at Expo '70 in Osaka and in 1980 the exhibition " Japan Style " at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London .

Internationally he is best known for his posters. Most were created for cultural events, such as theater and dance performances, especially for the Japanese Noh theater . He also designed posters for art exhibitions and concerts, worked for font manufacturers and fashion designers, and promoted social and environmental issues with his work.

The two graphic design galleries Ginza Graphic Gallery (ggg) in Tokyo and ddd Gallery in Osaka (today: Kyoto ddd Gallery in Kyoto), founded by Dai Nippon Printing in 1986 , have devoted seven exhibitions to Tanaka since 1990 and one publication in their book series in 1993 World Graphic Design . At the end of 2008, the DNP Foundation set up the Ikko Tanaka Archive with numerous works, including from his early creative years between 1950 and 1970.

Exhibitions

  • 1990: Ikko Tanaka Exhibition, Ginza Graphic Gallery.
  • 1995: Ikko Tanaka Exhibition, Ginza Graphic Gallery and ddd Gallery.
  • 2003: Ikko Tanaka Poster and Graphic Art Exhibition, Ginza Graphic Gallery and ddd Gallery.
  • 2010: DNP Graphic Design Archives Collection II Ikko Tanaka Posters 1953–1979, Ginza Graphic Gallery and ddd Gallery.
  • 2010: DNP Graphic Design Archives Collection II: Ikko Tanaka Posters 1953–1979, Center for Centemporary Graphic Art .
  • 2012: DNP Graphic Design Archives Collection IV -The 10th Memorial to Ikko Tanaka- Ikko Tanaka Posters 1980–2002, Ginza Graphic Gallery.
  • 2015: 20th Century Rimpa: Ikko Tanaka, Ginza Graphic Gallery.

Literature and Sources

  • documenta III. International exhibition ; Catalog: Volume 1: Painting and Sculpture; Volume 2: Hand Drawings; Volume 3: Industrial Design, Graphics; Kassel / Cologne 1964
  • Ikko Tanaka. World Graphic Design 5. With an introduction by Takahashi Mutsio, Ginza Graphic Gallery, Tokyo 1993, ISBN 4-924956-05-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ginza Graphic Gallery. Accessed August 18, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Tanaka, Ikkō
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 田中 一 光 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese graphic artist and graphic designer
DATE OF BIRTH January 13, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Nara , Nara Prefecture, Japan
DATE OF DEATH January 10, 2002
Place of death Tokyo