Takayoshi SAKABE

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an abstract photo of a curved building with a blue sky in the background

Takayoshi SAKABE

Born in 1953 in Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture, Takayoshi Sakabe is an artist shaped by the mystical nature and simplicity of his homeland. His artistic journey is not merely one of canvas and color, but also of inner exploration across cultures.

He began his education at Nihon University College of Art, Department of Design, and after graduating in 1974, he turned his path toward the West—to Paris, the historic heart of art. At the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, he underwent classical training, which became a turning point in his artistic vision. Here, he succeeded in building a bridge between the refined minimalism of Japanese aesthetics and the figurative power of Western art.

In 1983, he won a gold medal at the Salon des Artistes Français, not just as an accolade but as the beginning of his visibility in the international art scene. After nearly 30 years in Paris, at the center of the art world, he began to feel a sense of disconnection from his inner self.

This realization led him to move to Istanbul in the 2010s. A crossroads of East and West, the city became not just a place to live, but a sanctuary for his soul. Istanbul’s layers of history, ancient architecture, and mysterious atmosphere added new depth to his work, where silence, introspection, and existential inquiry became prominent themes.

Having earned a distinct place in the international art scene, Sakabe has exhibited his work in numerous countries through both group and solo exhibitions. More than just a painter, he is a cultural narrator. His interdisciplinary approach and ability to build a bridge between East and West lend a universal depth to his art, guiding viewers on an emotional journey through multiple cultural layers.

His works are part of prestigious collections such as the Paris Museum of Modern Art, the Tokyo Opera City Museum, and Türkiye Is Bank.

For Takayoshi Sakabe, painting is not about telling a story—but about making one feel. Time does not exist in his art; only stillness, contemplation, and meaning. He stands as a figure against the haste of the modern world, quietly reminding us that simplicity and depth are still possible.

Collections

National Museum of Modern Art in Paris, France

​Ville de La Celle-Saint-Cloud, France

​Ville de Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, France

Musee K. Mishima, Japan

Museum of Numazu, Japan

Tokyo Opera City Museum, Japan

​Is Bank, Turkey

Solo Exhibitions

1982 Bloemendaal City Hall, Netherland

1983 Fiac, Art Fair Paris, Gallery Fred Lanzenberg
Chateau of Beauregard-en-Biesois

1986 Bank of Tokyo, Paris

1987 Seibu, Yurakucho, Tokyo

1988 Seibu, Yurakucho, Tokyo

1989 Seibu, Osaka

1990 Seibu, Art Forum, Yurakucho, Tokyo

1991 Seibu, Sibuya, Tokyo

1992 Seibu Shizuoka

1993 Seibu, Art Forum, Yurakucho, Tokyo

Seibu, Kobe

1994 Seibu, Kochi

1995 Gallery Vanuxem, Paris

Gallery Fred Lanzenberg Bruxelles

1997 Gallery Vanuxem, Paris

Gallery Okashi, Tokyo

Gallery Nakajima, Tokyo

Gallery Yamamoto Osaka

Tiac 97, Tokyo, Gallery Yamamoto

1998 Art Brussels Art Fair

Fiac, Art Fair Paris, Gallery Fred Lanzenberg

1999 Gallery Daissen Osaka

2000 Gallery Daissen Osaka

2001 Gallery Daissen Osaka

Fiac, Art Fair Paris, Gallery Fred Lanzenberg

2002 Gallery Fred Lanzenberg, Bruxelles

Museum of Contemporary Art , Osaka

Gallery Daissen, Osaka

Museum of Contemporary Art, Kyoto

2003 FIAC, Art Fair Paris, Galerie Fred Lanzenberg

Gallery Fred Lanzenberg, Bruxelles

Gallery Daisen, Osaka

2004 Galerie Alice Mogabgab, Beyrouth

Gallery Daissen, Osaka

2005 Gallery Fred Lanzenberg, Bruxelles

2007 Gallery Daissen, Osaka

Gallery Alice Mogabgab, Beirut

2008 Sogo Takashimaya

2009 Fest Art Osaka, Gallery Daissen

2010 Fest Art Osaka, Gallery Daissen

2011 Fest Art Osaka, Gallery Daissen

2012 Gallery Takashimaya, Osaka and Shinjuku

2013 Gallery Alice Mogabgab, Beirut

2014 Gallery Daissen, Osaka

2015 Gallery Takashimaya, Osaka ,Tokyo, Nagoya

2017 Cep Gallery ǀ Contemporary Exhibition, İstanbul, Turkey

2018 Cep Gallery ǀ Contemporary Exhibition, İstanbul, Turkey

2024 LPA Gallery, Brussels, Belgium

Group Exhibitions

1981 Maison des Beaux – Arts, Paris

1982 Premier Prix de Peinture, La Celle - Saint – Cloud

Chateau de Bizi, Vemon, Premier Prix de Peinture
1983 Premier Prix Paul
Louis Weiller ( portrait ) Institut de France, Paris

Art Basel 83 Gallery Frend Lanzenberg

1985 Gallery Yamato, Hiroshima

1987 Gallery Yamato, Hiroshima

1989 Gallery Yamato, Hiroshima

1991 Seibu, Yurakucho, Tokyo

1993 Gallery Okoshi, Tokyo

1994 Gallery Okoshi, Tokyo

1999 Exhibition part 1 Tokyo Opera City Museum

2000 Pourquoi faites
Vous cette tete la ? Gallery Sabine Puget, Paris

2001 Exhibition 006 Tokyo Opera City Museum

2002 Pourquoi faites
vous cette tete la ? Gallery Poirel, Nancy

2004 T,s Gallery, Osaka

2006 Art Miami – South Beach, Gallery Alice Mogabgab

2007 Gallery Sellem, Paris

2008 Gallery Alice Mogabgab, Beyrouth

2010 Gallery Alice Mogabgab, Beyrouth

2011 Gallery S’n * an, Osaka

2012 Cep Gallery , Istanbul

​Art Paris Art Fair

2016 Gallery i Takashimaya Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo ,Yokohama

2017 Contemporary Istanbul, Cep Gallery, istanbul TURKEY

2018 Cep Gallery, Istanbul

2022 Hanhyu, Kobe

2023 Daichi Temple, Numazu

2024, Takashimaya Yokohama, Kyoto

black blue and yellow textile

Takayoshi SAKABE