Manabu Mabe

Manabu Mabe (Kumamoto, Japan 1924 - São Paulo SP 1997)

Manabu Mabe was a Japanese painter, printmaker, and illustrator who lived in Brazil. Born in Kobe, Japan, he immigrated with his family to Brazil in 1934, settling in the interior of the state of São Paulo, where he worked on a coffee plantation. Interested in painting from an early age, he began his artistic journey as a self-taught artist, studying through Japanese magazines and art books. In 1945, in the city of Lins, he learned how to prepare canvases and dilute paints with the painter and photographer Teisuke Kumasaka. In the late 1940s, already in São Paulo, he met the painter Tomoo Handa, to whom he showed his first works.

Joining the Seibi Group, Mabe actively participated in the study meetings of Group 15. The following year, he deepened his technical and theoretical knowledge with the painter Yoshiya Takaoka. During the 1950s, he participated in exhibitions organized by the Guanabara Group. In 1957, he sold his coffee plantation in Lins and moved permanently to São Paulo, aiming to dedicate himself full-time to painting.

In 1958, he was awarded the Leirner Prize for Contemporary Art. The following year, he received international attention with the publication of the article "The Year of Manabu Mabe" in Time magazine in New York. In 1959, he won the award for best national painter at the 5th São Paulo International Biennial and the painting award at the 1st Paris Biennial. In the 1980s, he produced a panel for the Pan American Union in Washington, D.C., illustrated The Book of Haikai, translated by Olga Salvary and edited by Massao Ohno and Roswitha Kempf, and designed the backdrop for the Provincial Theater in Kumamoto, Japan.

The Decision

We'll starve, but I don't know what else to do. I'll paint until I die. Manabu Mabe communicated this decision to his wife, Ioshino, shortly after his first solo exhibition in Lins, São Paulo, in 1951.

Mabe arrived in Brazil at the age of 10, accompanied by his father, mother, and seven siblings. They all settled in Lins as settlers, working on coffee plantations.

As soon as they could, the family moved to Jabaquara, a neighborhood in southern São Paulo that, along with Vila Mariana, Paraíso, and Liberdade, was home to the Japanese colony in the city of São Paulo.

In São Paulo, he found work in a laundry and dye shop, where, in between his usual duties, he also dyed ties, which he took home, painted, and then sold to stores in the city.

At the same time, he continued his experiments with painting, which he had begun even when he worked in the fields. Although self-taught, he never dispensed with the guidance of other, more experienced artists, whose teachings, however, he did not absorb, but assimilated, making his own interpretation of them and applying them according to his own instinct.

Consecration

Returning to Lins in 1951 to showcase his artistic achievements, he was warmly welcomed by the locals, who considered him a local, as if he had been born there.

The Linense Club provided him with the space for the exhibition. The people flocked to see it. The pride with which the Linenses welcomed him, the enthusiasm of the city's Japanese community for his work, led him to decide: he would abandon everything else to dedicate himself to painting.

It wasn't his first public appearance. The previous year, he had submitted some works to the Exhibition of the National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro. There, he was just one among many painters, some of whom were already renowned. Here, in the city of Lins, he was a standout, a success among his fellow countrymen—in short, a consecration.

He abandoned everything to dedicate himself to painting, but he didn't go hungry. He faced many difficulties, yes, but by the end of his career, he was one of the few artists who could afford to maintain a studio in São Paulo, another in New York, and a third in Tokyo, alternating between the three and participating in important exhibitions around the world.

The Early Years

Manabu Mabe was born in Kumamoto Ken (Japan) in 1924 and died in São Paulo (the capital) in 1997. He came to Brazil in 1934 with his family and, after a short stay in Birigui, in the interior of the state, they all settled in the city of Lins, working as farmers.

His approach to art came naturally, first copying drawings from magazines, then painting landscapes and still lifes.

The fact that he was in a small town, far from the capital and other major centers, and even more so, with the The aggravating factor of living in a rural area limited any possibility of artistic development, whether by acquiring technical knowledge indispensable even to the self-taught, or by finding a market for his work, which is essential for anyone who wants to make a living from it.

This situation would only change after his move to São Paulo, where, although living as a laborer, he found the possibility of communicating with those who make art and those who seek it.

Art in the Colony

In Vila Mariana, very close to Jabaquara, where Mabe lived, was the frame shop of Tikashi Fukushima (1920), whom he had met in passing while still in the city of Lins.

During the day, Fukushima's shop operated as a frame shop. At night, a metamorphosis occurred. Easels were set up, and enthusiastic young Japanese people met there to discuss art, make art, and exchange experiences.

Other cultural events took place in the neighborhood, which, although with pockets of poverty, housed the city's middle class, those who did not yet have the status and economic sufficiency to settle in Jardins (the upscale area), but had enough income to live in pleasant neighborhoods, a mix of residential homes and commercial stores.

Thus, horizons opened up for him and others from the colony, seeking opportunities to exhibit their work and gain recognition in the art world.

An irresistible attraction to the abstract

Everyone knows the patience, discipline, and philosophical depth in which all Eastern education is developed, beginning with its writing, a difficult exercise in learning characters and ideograms, each of which represents a well-finished work of calligraphy.

In a tradition dating back thousands of years, its training focuses on the inner self in the most profound way, blending religion and philosophy, learning to contemplate every detail of nature and revere it as the generator of life.

In his work as a painter, Manabu Mabe did not act like a technician, but rather like an animal. He was not guided by conscious rules, but by instinct. He did not analyze, simply giving free rein to his intuition, letting it flow naturally, and this is where he distinguished himself from others.

Influenced by his Eastern education and acting instinctively, it is not surprising that, little by little, he abandoned figurative painting to move ever closer to codes and signs, until he delved into the deepest depths of the abstract. Even in some relapses, when he accidentally returned to figuration, it was only hinted at, amidst the traces of abstractionism, to which style he remained faithful until his death.

He enjoyed painting large pictures; he wasn't attached to miniatures. His painting "Abstractionism," part of the São Paulo State Art Gallery, measures 181 x 201 cm; most of his canvases are over a meter in size. He therefore enjoyed spreading his ideas across large spaces, where he could incorporate important details, even if the average, less prepared eye might only identify the monotony of the elements.

Winning Ticket

Was Mabe's intention to dedicate his life to painting, regardless of the consequences, a lottery ticket or a transcendental vision of his own future? No one knows.

If it was a lottery ticket, he won. After his historic decision, there was no major event he didn't attend, and from then on, he began collecting awards in Brazil and around the world.

In 1959, the 5th São Paulo Biennial awarded him the Best National Painter award, and that same year, in a rare event for Brazilians, he won the Painting Prize at the 1st Paris Biennial. His paintings were exhibited in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Kumamoto, Kamamura, Lima, London, Miami, Montevideo, New York, Osaka, Paris, Rome, and Washington, to name just a few.

His death at the age of 73 cut short a career that was still brimming with vitality, although his work established a definitive style that he would never abandon.

Critical Commentary

Manabu Mabe came to Brazil with his family in 1934 and worked on a coffee plantation in the interior of São Paulo state. In 1941, he settled in the city of Lins, where he made crayon and watercolor drawings. He dedicated himself to this activity only on rainy days—when he could not work—and on Sundays. He acquired his first oil paints in 1945. He diluted the paints in kerosene and used cardboard or wood as supports for his paintings. During this period, he received artistic guidance from painter and photographer Teisuke Kumasaka. In 1947, on a trip to São Paulo, he met painter Tomoo Handa, who encouraged him to use nature as a source of inspiration. The following year, he studied with painter Yoshiya Takaoka, who taught him technical and theoretical painting. During this period, he participated in the Seibi Group and was a member of Group 15, with Yoshiya Takaoka, Shigueto Tanaka, and Tomoo Handa, among others. He dedicated himself to the study of artistic nudes, painting landscapes and still lifes, initially in a more conservative style and then gradually moving towards Impressionism and Fauvism.

At the 1st São Paulo International Biennial in 1951, he came into contact with works by artists from the School of Paris, such as Jean-Claude Aujame, André Minaux, André Marchand, and Bernard Lorjou, an experience that, according to the artist himself, changed his way of thinking and his attitude toward painting. In the early 1950s, he began to present geometric forms in his paintings, approaching Cubism, and figures outlined in thick black lines. His work dialogues with the work of Pablo Picasso and Candido Portinari, for whom he strongly admired, as can be seen in Carriers or Coffee Harvest, both from 1956. Gradually, he embraced abstraction and, in 1955, painted his first abstract work, "Vibration-Momentary." He moved with his family to São Paulo in 1957 to begin his career as a professional painter. In 1959, he received the Leirner Prize for Contemporary Art for the abstract paintings "Scream" and "Victorious," both created in 1958. The works allude to the artist's joy at being invited to participate in the event. "Victorious" is also a tribute to Pelé's performance in the previous year's World Cup.

In 1959, he participated in the 5th São Paulo International Biennial with the works "Composição Móvel" (Mobile Composition), "Piece of Light" (Piece of Light), and "Espaço Branco" (White Space), all from that year, and received the award for Best National Painter. The paintings are notable for their large chromatic patches, executed in quick, sweeping gestures, in which a balance between spontaneity and restraint is evident. These canvases reference the traditional art of Japanese calligraphy. That same year, he gained national and international recognition: he received an award at the 1st Paris Biennale des Juventud; Time magazine dedicated an article to him, entitled "The Year of Manabu Mabe"; and, the following year, he received an award at the 30th Venice Biennale. He thus became one of the most prominent artists of Brazilian informal abstractionism. He holds solo exhibitions and participates in group shows in Latin America, Europe, and the United States.

At the beginning of his career in abstraction, Manabu Mabe explored impasto, texture, and line in his works, revealing himself to be a significant colorist. Turning to the world of calligraphic forms, he also recognized the possibilities of creating a lyrical language with color. Thus, in the mid-1960s, he also began to draw closer to certain aspects of Tachism. The titles of his works evoke emotions or natural phenomena, as in Melancholic Song (1960), Spring (1965), Wind from the Equator (1969), Late Autumn (1973), My Dreams (1978), or Living (1989). From the 1970s onward, he crystallized his earlier procedures—which reappear stylized in almost all of his work—incorporating human figures and animal forms into his paintings, only hinted at or suggested, but generally represented in large dimensions. At the same time, the large, transparent, ethereal masses with which he had been working acquired an aspect of solidity.

Criticism

"I refer to the work of Manabu Mabe (...) who has achieved a modest international reputation (...) for his passionately executed gestural paintings. (...) Very well, but creative enthusiasm, richness of color, and passionate manipulation of paint have a limit. A painting, to be art, also requires focus, structure, and a frame of reference. I suspect that most of those who dismiss Mabe's work criticize it precisely on this point. Where, they ask, is his frame of reference - (...) what they really want to know is why these stains and smudges qualify as art. Perhaps we should compare a dozen or so of Mabe's paintings with an equal number produced by children or by adults who simply throw paint on canvases. If we undertook such a comparison, we would discover that the differences are astonishing and colossal (...). (...) The four basic ingredients of Mabe's art are passion, drama, risk and sensitivity. Together, they represent an artist of exceptional sensitivity, whose paintings embody and reincarnate the great dramas of passion versus passivity, movement versus inertia, and life versus death."
Theodore F. Wolff
WOLFF, Theodore F. The Multiple Masks of Modern Art. In: MANABU Mabe: Life and Work. São Paulo: Raízes, 1986. p. 288.

"The Japanese artist's perception led him to readily grasp the new and surprising affinities between his own artistic visions and the new visions developed from modern Western art, particularly with abstraction. (...) Manabu Mabe's training led him to understand the relativity and limited value of the conventional opposition between concrete and abstract, or between the 'figurative' and the 'informal.' Writing a brief commentary on his work, intended as the introduction to one of his exhibitions, Mabe declares that, in his understanding, 'figure and abstraction are the same thing. The artist need not be tied to either of them' - because their problem is secondary. Both fulfill me," adds Mabe (...). What matters to Manabu Mabe is not the affirmation or negation of the 'figure' on the support of the 'image,' but the intimate and almost physical agreement with the pictorial 'matter;' the penetrating and revealing dialogue between the painter and the chromatic substance in all its senses. The painter must internalize himself to understand that the matter questions him and, almost like the mythical sphinx, demands satisfactory answers. The inability to produce them would mean the artist's failure."
Jayme Maurício
MAURÍCIO, Jayme. Manabu Mabe. In: MANABU Mabe: life and work. São Paulo: Raízes, 1986. p. 24.

"In recent years, Mabe has given his painting diverse inflections without straying from the basic principles with which he began. His technique has not changed; however, there has been an intention to incorporate the figure into his compositions, which generally assume large-scale dimensions. The transparent, gaseous masses with which he expressed himself began to show solidity. The larvae, the caterpillars, the twisted, rolled tree leaves, seemed to want to manifest their presence but without allowing themselves to be completely defined, like octoplasms. The human form also insinuated itself, but all under a veil of imprecision. Traces of light, of luminous color, bordered these forms, defying definition. Meanwhile, his transparent tones or chromatic planes became increasingly richer and more vigorous. His personality is constantly ascending. It is not without reason, therefore, that he is currently considered one of the most solid values ​​of pictorial art in Latin America."
José Gómez Sicre
SICRE, José Gómez. Manabu Mabe. In: MANABU Mabe: Life and Work. São Paulo: Raízes, 1986. p. 46.

"(...) the artist, in tune with his inner world and attentive to the dynamics of the pictorial process itself, values, above all, freedom of expression, disallowing any aesthetic program established a priori. These manifestations, sometimes associated with abstract expressionism, sometimes with Tachism, assume certain peculiarities in Brazil. One of them would be the rise of Japanese-Brazilian painters to the visual arts scene, with Manabu Mabe quickly gaining prominence, winning awards at the 1959 São Paulo and Paris Biennials. Besides bringing fame to the artist, the award confirmed the penetration of so-called informalism, threatening the avant-garde position assumed by geometric formalism. Gestural painting, expanding in the United States, Europe, and Japan in the post-war period, found acceptance among Japanese immigrants who, from their ancestral culture, harnessed the subtle discipline of line and formal conciseness to create impactful works. In his paintings, Manabu Mabe combines broad, decisive gestures with vast patches of color, successfully balancing spontaneity and restraint. It is a shame that the vitality of her early years is diluted throughout her voluminous output."
Maria Alice Milliet
REDISCOVERY EXHIBITION, 2000, SÃO PAULO. Rediscovery Exhibition: Brazil 500 Years. São Paulo: Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, 2000. p. 58.

Testimonials

"'What is art?' 'What is the purpose of my painting?' One day I thought about all this, and more than twenty years have passed since then.

It was good that I thought about it, because the farmer became a painter, and my life changed.

Fishing for silversides and catfish in pasture streams, harvesting coconuts and guavas, playing chase with birds—these are like unforgettable lyrical poems from my childhood.

The red coffee fruit, the green leaves, the blue sky of the countryside are still depicted on canvas today, and the dream of that countryside is still depicted on canvas today, and the dream of that young man covered in sweat and dust who cultivated the purple earth is still the same today at sixty, whose productive and hard-working soul paints and erases, scrapes and draws again.

My dream is infinite, and I travel the world of beauty.

Learning to handle beauty and explore art means waging a constant struggle with myself. same.

The suffering and joy of producing.

What could it be that makes me so absorbed?

It's beauty.

Beauty appears before me, ever larger and broader.

What portion of it will I be able to grasp until this life burns out completely?

At seven years old, I drew an umbrella; at ten, an autumn landscape.

At twenty-two, I began painting in oil on canvas, fruits and landscapes of the colony, and in 1953, I began to concern myself with colors and shapes.

In 1958, abstract works exploded, and the canvases began to pulse with the red blood of hope and excitement.

'Yes, the works are the record of my life. From then on, my life has been entirely carved out of works'.

Having been born in the 20th century, I participate in joys and sorrows, war and peace, socioeconomic imbalances, or all the events of the world as a part of it.

As a son, I was blessed by paternal and maternal love, something insurmountable by any material possession; as a father, I have had joys and moments of sadness. Placed in the eternal historical current between heaven and earth of this immense universe, this small life dreams big in search of an ideal world, and lives intensely each day of its life.
Manabu Mabe, 1985
MABE, Manabu. Words of the artist. In: MANABU Mabe: life and work. São Paulo: Raízes, 1986. p. 9.

"I was never a student of any master, nor did I belong to any school. I have a style of painting that I developed myself, through much effort and perseverance, which is easily identifiable. I jokingly called it "Mabism." But this style has also undergone modifications over time. People say it represents the fusion of East and West, being the expression of lyrical poetry, but I believe my painting represents myself. In the words of a painter friend, Kazuo Wakabayashi, I am a rare example among the Japanese of my generation who did not experience war. He says: the Japanese who were in Japan during World War II became withdrawn due to defeat. But Mabe, who was abroad, maintained his natural joy, which he managed to express in his painting."
Manabu Mabe - September 16 1994
MABE, Manabu. It Rains in the Coffee Plantation. Nihon Keizai Shimbun. São Paulo 1994. p. [86].

Solo Exhibitions

1957 - Lins, SP - Solo exhibition at Clube Linense
1959 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo exhibition at Galeria Barcinski
1960 - Montevideo, Uruguay - Solo exhibition at Instituto de Cultura Uruguaio-Brasileiro
1960 - New York, USA - Solo exhibition at Time-Life Gallery
1960 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo exhibition at MAM/RJ
1960 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at Galeria Sistina
1961 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Solo exhibition at Galeria Rubbers
1961 - Montevideo, Uruguay - Solo exhibition at Centro de Artes y Letras
1961 - New York, USA - Solo exhibition at Time-Life Gallery
1961 - Paris, France - Solo exhibition at Galerie La Cloche
1961 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo exhibition at Galeria Barcinski
1961 - Rome, Italy - Solo exhibition at Galleria Del´Obelisco
1962 - Paris, France - Solo exhibition at Galerie La Cloche
1962 - Trieste, Italy - Solo exhibition at Galleria La Cavana
1962 - Venice, Italy - Solo exhibition at Galleria Il Canale
1962 - Washington, USA - Solo exhibition at Pan American Union
1963 - Salvador, BA - Solo exhibition at Galeria Querino
1964 - Lima, Peru - Solo exhibition at Instituto de Arte Contemporânea
1964 - Rome, Italy - Solo exhibition at Galleria D'Arte Della Casa do Brasil
1967 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Solo exhibition at MAP
1967 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at Galeria Astréia
1968 - Mexico City, Mexico - Solo exhibition at Galeria Merk-Up
1968 - New York, USA - Solo exhibition at Catherine Viviano Gallery
1969 - Lisbon, Portugal - Solo exhibition at Galeria Buchholz
1969 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at Galeria Documenta
1970 - Houston, USA - Solo exhibition at Museum of Fine Arts
1970 - New York, USA - Solo exhibition at Catherine Viviano Gallery
1970 - Tokyo, Japan - Solo exhibition at Takashimaya Art Gallery
1971 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at Galeria de Arte Ipanema
1971 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at Galeria Documenta
1973 - Tokyo, Japan - Solo exhibition at Tokuma Art Gallery
1974 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at A Galeria
1975 - São Paulo, SP - Retrospective at MASP
1976 - London, England - Solo exhibition at Stephen Maltz Fine Arts Gallery
1977 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at Galeria de Arte André
1978 - Kamakura, Japan - Solo exhibition at Kamakura Museum of Art
1978 - Kumamoto, Japan - Solo exhibition at Kumamoto Museum of Art
1978 - Osaka, Japan - Solo exhibition at National Museum of Art
1980 - Miami, USA - Solo exhibition at The Lowe Art Museum
1980 - Washington, D.C., USA - Solo exhibition at Museum of Modern Art of Latin America
1981 - Paris, France - Solo exhibition at Realidade Galeria de Arte
1982 - Miami, USA - Solo exhibition at Meeting Point Art Center
1982 - New York, USA - Manabu Mabe at Kouros Gallery
1982 - Paris, France - Solo exhibition at Realidade Galeria de Arte
1983 - Panama City, Panama - Solo exhibition at Galeria Arteconsult
1983 - New York, USA - Solo exhibition at Kouros Gallery
1983 - São Paulo, SP - Manabu Mabe: Recent Works, at Galeria de Arte André
1984 - Stockholm, Sweden - Solo exhibition at SAC
1984 - Paris, France - Solo exhibition at FIAC
1984 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 60 Years of Mabe, at Realidade Galeria de Arte
1984 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo exhibition at Realidade Galeria de Arte
1985 - London, England - Manabu Mabe at I. CAF
1986 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Manabu Mabe at Realidade Galeria de Arte
1986 - São Paulo, SP - Manabu Mabe: Recent Works, at MASP
1987 - Paris, France - Solo exhibition at FIAC Grand Palais
1988 - Paris, France - Solo exhibition at Espace Latino-Américain
1989 - New York, USA - Solo exhibition at Kouros Gallery
1990 - Belo Horizonte, MG - Retrospective at Novo Tempo Galeria de Arte
1990 - Brasília, DF - Solo exhibition at Visual Galeria de Arte
1991 - Nagoya, Japan - Solo exhibition at Saito Gallery
1991 - Osaka, Japan - Solo exhibition at Yamaki Art Gallery
1991 - Paris, France - Solo exhibition at Galeria Debret
1992 - Kumamoto, Japan - Solo exhibition at Tsuruya Art Gallery
1992 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition at Museu da Casa Brasileira
1992 - Tokyo, Japan - Solo exhibition at Murauchi Art Gallery
1995 - São Paulo, SP - Manabu Mabe: 50 Years of Painting, at Galeria de Arte André

Group Exhibitions

1950 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 56th National Salon of Fine Arts, MNBA
1950 - São Paulo SP - 1st Exhibition of the Guanabara Group, Galeria Domus
1951 - Lins SP - 1st Linense Salon of Visual Arts - Gold Medal
1951 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 57th National Salon of Fine Arts, MNBA
1951 - São Paulo SP - 1st São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, Galeria Prestes Maia
1951 - São Paulo SP - 2nd Exhibition of the Guanabara Group, IAB/SP
1952 - São Paulo SP - 17th São Paulo Salon of Fine Arts, Trianon Halls - Honorable Mention
1952 - São Paulo SP - 1st Seibi Group Salon of Visual Artists, Clube Sakura - Large Silver Medal
1953 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 2nd National Salon of Modern Art, MNBA - Acquisition Prize
1953 - São Paulo SP - 2nd São Paulo International Biennial, Pavilhão dos Estados
1953 - São Paulo SP - 2nd Seibi Group Salon of Visual Artists - Large Gold Medal
1954 - São Paulo SP - 3rd São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, Galeria Prestes Maia - Small Silver Medal
1954 - Tokyo (Japan) - Tokyo Biennale
1955 - São Paulo SP - 3rd São Paulo International Biennial, Pavilhão das Nações
1955 - São Paulo SP - 4th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, Galeria Prestes Maia
1956 - São Paulo SP - 5th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, Galeria Prestes Maia - Small Silver Medal
1957 - São Paulo SP - 6th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, Galeria Prestes Maia - Small Gold Medal
1958 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Salon of Art "A Mãe e a Criança"
1958 - São Paulo SP - 4th Exhibition of the Guanabara Group, ACM
1958 - São Paulo SP - 7th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, Galeria Prestes Maia - Large Gold Medal
1959 - Dallas (United States) - Group Exhibition, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts - Acquisition Prize
1959 - Leverkusen (Germany) - First Group Exhibition of Brazilian Artists in Europe
1959 - Munich - First Group Exhibition of Brazilian Artists in Europe, Kunsthaus
1959 - Paris (France) - 1st Paris Biennale - Braun Prize and Study Grant
1959 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 8th National Salon of Modern Art - Jury Exemption Prize
1959 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 8th National Salon of Modern Art, MAM/RJ
1959 - São Paulo SP - 5th São Paulo International Biennial, Pavilhão Ciccilo Matarazzo Sobrinho - Best National Painter
1959 - São Paulo SP - 5th Exhibition of the Guanabara Group, ACM
1959 - São Paulo SP - 8th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art - Governor of the State Prize
1959 - São Paulo SP - 8th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, Galeria Prestes Maia
1959 - São Paulo SP - Leirner Contemporary Art Prize, Galeria de Arte das Folhas
1959 - Vienna (Austria) - First Group Exhibition of Brazilian Artists in Europe
1960 - Hamburg (Germany) - First Group Exhibition of Brazilian Artists in Europe
1960 - Lisbon (Portugal) - First Group Exhibition of Brazilian Artists in Europe
1960 - Madrid (Spain) - First Group Exhibition of Brazilian Artists in Europe
1960 - Paris (France) - First Group Exhibition of Brazilian Artists in Europe
1960 - São Paulo SP - Leirner Collection, Galeria de Arte da Folha
1960 - São Paulo SP - Exhibition of the Seven, CAC
1960 - Utrecht (Netherlands) - First Group Exhibition of Brazilian Artists in Europe
1960 - Venice (Italy) - 30th Venice Biennale - Fiat Prize
1961 - Boston (United States) - Latin American Artists, Institute of Contemporary Art
1961 - São Paulo SP - 6th São Paulo International Biennial, Pavilhão Ciccilo Matarazzo Sobrinho
1961 - Washington (United States) - Japanese Painters of the Americas
1962 - Bragança Paulista SP - Exhibition of the Six, Clube Dois
1962 - Colorado (United States) - New Art of Brazil, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
1962 - Córdoba (Argentina) - 1st American Art Biennale - 1st Prize
1962 - Minneapolis (United States) - New Art of Brazil, Walker Art Center
1962 - San Francisco (United States) - New Art of Brazil, San Francisco Museum of Art
1962 - São Paulo SP - Selection of Brazilian Artworks from the Ernesto Wolf Collection, MAM/SP
1962 - St. Louis (United States) - New Art of Brazil, City Art Museum
1963 - Campinas SP - Contemporary Painting and Sculpture, Museu Carlos Gomes
1963 - Lima (Peru) - Latin American Painting, Instituto de Arte Contemporânea
1963 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 1st JB Art Summary, Jornal do Brasil
1963 - São Paulo SP - 7th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1963 - Vienna (Austria) and London (England) - Brazilian Art Today, Museum für Angewandte Kunst and Royal Art College
1964 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 2nd The Face and the Work, Galeria Ibeu Copacabana
1964 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 8th Seibi Group Salon of Visual Artists, MAM/RJ
1965 - La Paz (Bolivia) - Nippo-Brazilian Painters, Brazilian Embassy
1965 - London (England) - Brazilian Art Today, Royal Academy of Arts
1965 - Oakland (United States) - Nippo-Brazilian Paintings Today
1965 - São Paulo SP - 8th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1965 - Tokyo (Japan) - Nippo-Brazilian Paintings Today
1965 - Washington (United States) - Nippo-Brazilian Paintings Today
1966 - Mexico City (Mexico) - Painting and Engraving from Brazil, Museum of Modern Art
1966 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - The Artist and the Machine, MAM/RJ
1966 - São Paulo SP - 10th Seibi Group Salon of Visual Artists, Sociedade Paulista de Cultura Japonesa
1966 - São Paulo SP - Nippo-Brazilian Artists, MAC/USP
1966 - São Paulo SP - Half a Century of New Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, MAC/USP
1966 - São Paulo SP - The Artist and the Machine, MASP
1966 - São Paulo SP - Three Premises, MAB/Faap
1966 - Washington (United States) - Two Nippo-Brazilian Painters, Brazilian-American Cultural Institute
1967 - Chicago (United States) - Contemporary American Painting and Sculpture, University of Illinois
1967 - New York (United States) - International Art Festival, The New York Hilton Gallery at Rockefeller Center
1967 - São Paulo SP - 9th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1967 - São Paulo SP - Ten Nippo-Brazilian Artists, Salão Nobre da Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa
1967 - Urbana (United States) - Contemporary American Painting and Sculpture, University of Illinois
1968 - Mexico City (Mexico) - Group Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art
1968 - São Paulo SP - First São Paulo Opinion Fair, Teatro Ruth Escobar
1969 - Porto Alegre RS - Nippo-Brazilian Painters, Galeria Cândido Portinari
1970 - Milan (Italy) - Contemporary Brazilian Art, Brazilian Consulate
1971 - São Paulo SP - 11th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1972 - Medellin (Colombia) - 3rd Medellín Biennale, Museo de Antioquia
1972 - São Paulo SP - Art/Brazil/Today: 50 Years Later, Galeria da Collectio
1972 - Tokyo (Japan) - 150 Years of Brazilian Independence, Yakult Honsha
1973 - Kyoto (Japan) - Japanese Artists of America, National Museum of Kyoto
1973 - São Paulo SP - 12th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1973 - São Paulo SP - 1st Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1973 - São Paulo SP - 5th Panorama of Contemporary Brazilian Art, MAM/SP
1973 - Tokyo (Japan) - Japanese Artists of America, The Tokyo Museum
1975 - São Paulo SP - 13th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1975 - São Paulo SP - 2nd Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Legislative Assembly of São Paulo
1977 - Madrid (Spain) - Current Ibero-American Art, Instituto de Cultura Hispânica
1977 - San Salvador (El Salvador) - Tribute to Latin American Painting
1977 - São Paulo SP - 3rd Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1977 - São Paulo SP - Art Exhibition, Grupo Financeiro BBI
1977 - São Paulo SP - The Groups: The 1940s, Museu Lasar Segall
1978 - São Paulo SP - 3 Generations of Nippo-Brazilian Artists, Galeria Arte Global
1978 - São Paulo SP - Biennials and Abstraction: The 1950s, Museu Lasar Segall
1979 - Curitiba PR - Nippo-Brazilian Artists, BADEP Exhibition Hall
1979 - São Paulo SP - 4th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1979 - São Paulo SP - 11th Panorama of Contemporary Brazilian Art, MAM/SP
1979 - São Paulo SP - 15th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1980 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Eighty Years of Brazilian Art, Banco Itaú
1980 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Tribute to Mário Pedrosa, Galeria Jean Boghici
1980 - São Paulo SP - Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1980 - São Paulo SP - Masters of Lyrical Abstraction in Brazil, Galeria Eugénie Villien
1981 - Osaka (Japan) - Latin American Contemporary Art Exhibition Brazil/Japan, National Museum of Art Osaka
1981 - São Paulo SP - 5th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1982 - Bauru SP - 80 Years of Brazilian Art
1982 - Lisbon (Portugal) - Brazil 60 Years of Modern Art: Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection, Centro de Arte Moderna José de Azeredo Perdigão
1982 - London (United Kingdom) - Brazil 60 Years of Modern Art: Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection, Barbican Art Gallery
1982 - Marília SP - 80 Years of Brazilian Art
1982 - Penápolis SP - 5th Northwest Visual Arts Salon, Fundação Educacional de Penápolis
1982 - Salvador BA - Brazilian Art from the Odorico Tavares Collection, Museu Carlos Costa Pinto
1982 - São Paulo SP - 80 Years of Brazilian Art, MAB/SP
1982 - São Paulo SP - Maritime and Riverside Themes, Museu Lasar Segall
1983 - Atami (Japan) - 6th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1983 - Atami (Japan) - Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1983 - Belo Horizonte MG - 80 Years of Brazilian Art, Fundação Clóvis Salgado, Palácio das Artes
1983 - Campinas SP - 80 Years of Brazilian Art, MACC
1983 - Curitiba PR - 80 Years of Brazilian Art, MAC/PR
1983 - Kyoto (Japan) - 6th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1983 - Ribeirão Preto SP - 80 Years of Brazilian Art
1983 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 6th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, MNBA
1983 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazilian Self-Portraits, Galeria de Arte Banerj
1983 - Santo André SP - 80 Years of Brazilian Art, Prefeitura Municipal de Santo André
1983 - São Paulo SP - 6th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, MASP
1983 - Tokyo (Japan) - 6th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1984 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Masters of Brazilian Abstractionism
1984 - Fortaleza CE - 7th National Salon of Visual Arts
1984 - The Hague (Netherlands) - Masters of Brazilian Abstractionism
1984 - Lisbon (Portugal) - Masters of Brazilian Abstractionism
1984 - London (England) - Masters of Brazilian Abstractionism
1984 - Madrid (Spain) - Masters of Brazilian Abstractionism
1984 - Milan (Italy) - Masters of Brazilian Abstractionism
1984 - New York (United States) - Masters of Brazilian Abstractionism
1984 - Paris (France) - Masters of Brazilian Abstractionism
1984 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 7th National Salon of Visual Arts, MAM/RJ
1984 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Contemporary Brazilian Painting, Espaço Petrobras
1984 - Rome (Italy) - Masters of Brazilian Abstractionism
1984 - São Paulo SP - Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection: Portraits and Self-Portraits of Brazilian Art, MAM/SP
1984 - São Paulo SP - Tradition and Rupture: Synthesis of Brazilian Art and Culture, Fundação Bienal
1984 - Washington (United States) - Masters of Brazilian Abstractionism
1985 - Atami (Japan) - 7th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1985 - Kyoto (Japan) - 7th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1985 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 7th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Fundação Brasil-Japão de Artes Plásticas
1985 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Six Decades of Modern Art in the Roberto Marinho Collection, Paço Imperial
1985 - São Paulo SP - 100 Works Itaú, MASP
1985 - São Paulo SP - 7th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Fundação Brasil-Japão de Artes Plásticas
1985 - Tokyo (Japan) - 7th Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition
1986 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - JK and the 1950s: A View of Culture and Daily Life, Galeria Investiarte
1986 - São Paulo SP - Before and Now: 8 Painters, Fundação Cásper Líbero
1987 - Paris (France) - Modernity: 20th Century Brazilian Art, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
1987 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - To the Collector: Tribute to Gilberto Chateaubriand, MAM/RJ
1987 - São Paulo SP - 20th Contemporary Art Exhibition, Chapel Art Show
1987 - São Paulo SP - The Craft of Art: Painting, SESC
1987 - São Paulo SP - Spring, Liberdade Garô Galeria de Arte
1988 - Belém PA - Heritage of Japan: Aspects of Nippo-Brazilian Visual Arts, Fundação Rômulo Maiorana
1988 - Brasília DF - Heritage of Japan: Aspects of Nippo-Brazilian Visual Arts, Fundação Cultural do Distrito Federal
1988 - Curitiba PR - Heritage of Japan: Aspects of Nippo-Brazilian Visual Arts, MAC/PR
1988 - Manaus AM - Heritage of Japan: Aspects of Nippo-Brazilian Visual Arts, Pinacoteca do Estado
1988 - New York (United States) - The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States, 1920-1970, Bronx Museum of the Arts
1988 - Beijing (China) - 1st Brazil-China Exhibition, China Fine Arts Gallery
1988 - Porto Alegre RS - Heritage of Japan: Aspects of Nippo-Brazilian Visual Arts, MARGS
1988 - Recife PE - Heritage of Japan: Aspects of Nippo-Brazilian Visual Arts, Fundação Joaquim Nabuco
1988 - São Paulo SP - 15 Years of Brazil-Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, Fundação Mokiti Okada
1988 - São Paulo SP - Heritage of Japan: Aspects of Nippo-Brazilian Visual Arts, MAB/Faap
1988 - São Paulo SP - Modernity: 20th Century Brazilian Art, MAM/SP
1988 - São Paulo SP - Life and Art of the Japanese in Brazil, MASP
1989 - Copenhagen (Denmark) - Rhythms and Forms: Contemporary Brazilian Art, Museu Charlottenborg
1989 - El Paso (United States) - The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States, 1920-1970, El Paso Museum of Art
1989 - Fortaleza CE - 19th and 20th Century Brazilian Art in Cearense Collections: Paintings and Drawings, Espaço Cultural da Unifor
1989 - Lisbon (Portugal) - Six Decades of Brazilian Modern Art: Roberto Marinho Collection, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Centro de Arte Moderna José de Azeredo Perdigão
1989 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Heritage of Japan: Aspects of Nippo-Brazilian Visual Arts, MNBA
1989 - San Diego (United States) - The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States, 1920-1970, San Diego Museum of Art
1989 - San Juan (Puerto Rico) - The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States, 1920-1970, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña
1989 - São Paulo SP - 20th São Paulo International Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1989 - São Paulo SP - Brazilian Painting 19th and 20th Centuries: Works from the Banco Itaú Collection, Galeria Itaú Cultural
1990 - Atami (Japan) - 9th Brazil-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition
1990 - Brasília DF - 9th Brazil-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition
1990 - Miami (United States) - The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States, 1920-1970, Center for the Arts
1990 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 9th Brazil-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition
1990 - São Paulo SP - 6th Brazilian Art Salon, Fundação Mokiti Okada M.O.A.
1990 - São Paulo SP - 9th Brazil-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition, Fundação Brasil-Japão de Artes Plásticas
1990 - Sapporo (Japan) - 9th Brazil-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition, Fundação Brasil-Japão de Artes Plásticas
1990 - Tokyo (Japan) - 9th Brazil-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition
1992 - Poços de Caldas MG - Brazilian Modern Art: Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo, Casa de Cultura
1992 - São Paulo SP - 7th Brazilian Art Salon, Fundação Mokiti Okada
1992 - São Paulo SP - Guanabara Group: 1950-1959, Renato Magalhães Gouvêa Art Office
1993 - São Paulo SP - Luso-Nippo-Brazilian Exhibition, MAB/Faap
1994 - São Paulo SP - Brazilian Modern Art: A Selection from the Roberto Marinho Collection, MASP
1994 - São Paulo SP - Flags: 60 Artists Honor 60 Years of USP, MAC/USP
1994 - São Paulo SP - 20th Century Brazil Biennial, Fundação Bienal
1995 - Brasília DF - Seven Samurais of Brazilian Art, LBV
1995 - Niigata (Japan) - Exhibition of Contemporary Nippo-Brazilian Painters, Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art
1995 - São Paulo SP - Brazil-Japan Art, Fundação Mokiti Okada M.O.A.
1995 - São Paulo SP - Brazil-Japan Art, Fundação Mokiti Okada
1995 - São Paulo SP - Project Contact, Galeria Sesc Paulista
1995 - São Paulo SP - Project Contact, Galeria Sesc Paulista
1995 - Tokushima (Japan) - Exhibition of Contemporary Nippo-Brazilian Painters, Tokushima Cultural Center
1996 - Barra Mansa RJ - 12 Names of Brazilian Painting, Centro Universitário de Barra Mansa
1996 - Gifu (Japan) - Exhibition of Contemporary Nippo-Brazilian Painters, Museum of Fine Art Gifu
1996 - São Paulo SP - Brazilian Art: 50 Years of History in the MAC/USP Collection: 1970-1970, MAC/USP
1996 - São Paulo SP - Flags, Galeria de Arte do Sesi
1996 - São Paulo SP - Exhibition of Contemporary Nippo-Brazilian Painters, MASP
1996 - Tokyo (Japan) - Exhibition of Contemporary Nippo-Brazilian Painters, Azabu Art Museum

Posthumous Exhibitions

1997 - Curitiba PR - Casa Cor Sul, at Simões de Assis Galeria de Arte
1997 - Jacareí SP - Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese-Brazilian Painters, at Oficina de Artes Santa Helena
1997 - Jacareí SP - Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese-Brazilian Painters, at Oficina de Artes Santa Helena
1997 - Porto Alegre RS - Caixa Collection Exhibition, at Conjunto Cultural da Caixa
1997 - Porto Alegre RS - Parallel Exhibition, at Museu da Caixa Econômica Federal
1997 - São Paulo SP - Caixa Collection Exhibition, at Conjunto Cultural da Caixa
1997 - São Paulo SP - Great Names of Brazilian Painting, at Jo Slaviero Galeria de Arte
1998 - Belo Horizonte MG - Japan-Brazil International Traveling Exhibition, at Fundação Clóvis Salgado, Palácio das Artes
1998 - Curitiba PR - Caixa Collection Exhibition, at Conjunto Cultural da Caixa
1998 - Ipatinga MG - Japan-Brazil International Traveling Exhibition
1998 - Ipatinga MG - Japan-Brazil International Traveling Exhibition, at Fundação São Francisco Xavier, Centro Cultural Usiminas
1998 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Caixa Collection Exhibition, at Conjunto Cultural da Caixa
1998 - São Paulo SP - MAM Bahia Collection: Paintings, at MAM/SP
1998 - São Paulo SP - Seibi Group, at Jo Slaviero Galeria de Arte
1998 - São Paulo SP - Paulistana Iconography in Private Collections, at Museu da Casa Brasileira
1998 - São Paulo SP - The Modern and the Contemporary in Brazilian Art: Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection - MAM/RJ, at MASP
1998 - São Paulo SP - São Paulo: Vision of the Japanese-Brazilians, at Museu Lasar Segall
1998 - São Paulo SP - Lines and Forms, at Jo Slaviero Galeria de Arte
1999 - Brasília DF - Japan-Brazil International Traveling Exhibition, at Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1999 - Salvador BA - 60 Years of Brazilian Art, at Espaço Cultural da Caixa Econômica Federal
1999 - São Paulo SP - Everyday Life/Art. Consumption – Metamorphosis of Consumption, at Itaú Cultural
1999 - São Paulo SP - Japan-Brazil International Traveling Exhibition, at MASP
2000 - São Paulo SP - Brasil + 500: Rediscovery Exhibition, Modern Art, at Fundação Bienal
2000 - São Paulo SP - Solo Exhibition, at Club Athletico Paulistano
2001 - Brasília DF - Collections of Brazil, at CCBB
2001 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Carioca Art Collection, at Galeria de Arte Ipanema
2001 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazilian Watercolors, at Centro Cultural Light
2001 - São Paulo SP - Four Decades, at Galeria de Arte André
2001 - São Paulo SP - Four Decades, at Nova André Galeria
2001 - São Paulo SP - Japanese-Brazilian Art: Moments, at Galeria Euroart Castelli
2001 - São Paulo SP - Chove no Cafezal, at Museu da Casa Brasileira
2001 - São Paulo SP - Aldo Franco Collection, at Pinacoteca do Estado
2002 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazilian Art in the Fadel Collection: From the Restlessness of Modernity to the Autonomy of Language, at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil
2002 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Paths of the Contemporary 1952-2002, at Paço Imperial
2002 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Paths of the Contemporary 1952-2002, at Paço Imperial
2002 - São Paulo SP - Beyond the Canvas, at Nova André Galeria
2002 - São Paulo SP - Brazilian Art in the Fadel Collection: From the Restlessness of Modernity to the Autonomy of Language, at CCBB
2002 - São Paulo SP - The Seven Bastions of Brazilian Abstractionism, at Nova André Galeria
2003 - Brasília DF - Brazilian Art in the Fadel Collection: From the Restlessness of Modernity to the Autonomy of Language, at CCBB
2003 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Order x Freedom, at MAM/RJ
2003 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Treasures of Caixa: Brazilian Modern Art in the Caixa Collection, at Conjunto Cultural da Caixa
2003 - São Paulo SP - Lauro Eduardo Soutello Alves Collection in the MAM Collection, at MAM/SP
2003 - São Paulo SP - Tomie Ohtake in the Spiritual Fabric of Brazilian Art, at Instituto Tomie Ohtake
2004 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Tomie Ohtake in the Spiritual Fabric of Brazilian Art, at MNBA
2004 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 90 Years of Tomie Ohtake, at MNBA
2004 - São Paulo SP - Abstraction as Language: Profile of a Collection, at Pinakotheke
2004 - São Paulo SP - Gesture and Expression: Informal Abstractionism in the JP Morgan Chase and MAM Collections, at MAM/SP
2004 - São Paulo SP - Grupo Guanabara, at Galeria Prestes Maia
2004 - São Paulo SP - Manabu Mabe and Yugo Mabe, at Espaço Cultural Vivo