横尾忠則

Born in 1936 in Nishiwaki-chō (now Nishiwaki City), Taka-gun, Hyogo Prefecture as the second son of Naruse Mitsumasa and Tsuyo. In 1939, Yokoo was adopted by his father’s older brother, Yokoo Masaki, who ran a kimono business with his wife Inagaki Terue. In 1943, he entered Nishiwaki Elementary School. In 1949, he entered Taka-gun Cooperative Junior High School. While in junior high, he immersed himself in Edogawa Rampo’s novels, Minami Yōichiro’s adventure stories, Suzuki Gyosui’s illustrations, and Yamakawa Sōji’s illustrated stories. In 1952, he entered Hyogo Prefectural Nishiwaki High School. The following year, he designed his first poster for the school festival. In 1954, he was inspired by his art teacher to begin making oil paintings. Later that year, he received the Municipal Assemblyman Award in the Nishiwaki City Exhibition. In 1955, Yokoo began working at the Kuroda Seibudō printing company in Kakogawa, Hyogo before finding a job at the “Kobe Shimbun” newspaper the following year. In 1957, he met and married Tani Yasue. In 1958, he received the encouragement prize in the 8th Nissenbi Japan Advertising Artists Club (JAAC) Exhibition, and was nominated to joined the group. In 1959, he began working at the National Advertising Research Institute in Osaka before moving to Tokyo the next year when the institute relocated to the city. Later in 1960, he began working at the Nippon Design Center, where he remained until 1964. In 1961, he created a poster for the Kyoto Ro-on music association after receiving an introduction from the graphic designer Tanaka Ikko. In 1962, he was awarded a bronze prize by the Tokyo Art Directors Club (ADC). In 1965, he met Mishima Yukio when the writer visited Yokoo’s first solo exhibition (held at Yoshida Gallery in Tokyo). Later the same year, he received the 11th Mainichi Industrial Design Award. In 1966, he made the illustrations for Mishima’s essay “The Aesthetics of the End” when it was serialized in “Josei jishin” magazine. Later that year, he met Kara Jūrō, director of the Jōkyō Gekijō (Situation Theatre), and created a poster for the group’s play “Koshimaki-Osen”. In 1967, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York acquired 14 of Yokoo's posters. In 1968, he starred in Ōshima Nagisa’s film “Diary of a Shinjuku Burglar”. In 1969, he was awarded the Grand Prize for Prints at the 6th Paris Youth Biennale. He subsequently received numerous prizes in open-call exhibitions in Japan and abroad. In 1970, Yokoo designed the Fiber Pavilion for the Japan World Exposition (Osaka Expo). In 1972, he held a solo exhibition at MoMA. He subsequently held numerous solo exhibitions in Japan and abroad. In 1974, he received the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art Prize at the 9th International Print Art Biennale in Tokyo. In 1981, Yokoo made his so-called “painter’s declaration,” signaling a shift from graphic design to painting. He subsequently made numerous series of paintings including “Multidimensional Paintings”, “Red Paintings”, “Y-Junction”, and “Hanshan and Shide”. In 1984, he oversaw the art direction and set design for the ballet “Dionysus” performed by the Belgique 20th Century Ballet (directed by Maurice Béjart) at La Scala Theatre in Milan. In 1987, he received the Hyogo Prefecture Cultural Award. In 1989, he was awarded an honorary prize at the 4th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh. In 1995, he received the 36th Mainichi Art Award followed in 1997 by a gold prize at the 75th ADC Awards in New York. In 2000, he was inducted into the group’s Hall of Fame. In 2001, Yokoo received the Purple Ribbon Medal from the Japanese government. In 2002, he accepted a teaching post in the post-graduate program at Tama Art University, which he remained until 2004. In 2004, he received the Dark Blue Ribbon Medal from the Japanese government. In 2006, he was honored with the Japan Inter-Design Award. In 2007, he received the Outstanding Contributor to Hyogo Prefecture Award, and the City of Setagaya Special Award for Distinguished Cultural Service. In 2008, he was awarded the 36th Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature for his novel “Blueland” (serialized in “Bungakukai” magazine). In 2009, he received the 5th Enku Grand Award. In 2011, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by the Japanese government. In 2012, he received the Asahi Prize. Later the same year, the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art opened in Kobe, and Yokoo’s work was included in the MoMA exhibition “Tokyo 1955-1970: A New Avant-Garde”. In 2013, he received the Kobe Shimbun Peace Prize, and he was also awarded the title of “First Honorary Citizen of Nishiwaki City.” Also that year, Teshima Yokoo House (a collaboration between Yokoo and the architect Nagayama Yuko) opened on Naoshima in Kagawa Prefecture. In 2014, he received the Yamana Ayao Award at the Japan Advertising Awards. In 2015, he was awarded the 27th Praemium Imperiale (held in memory of Prince Takamatsu). In 2016, he was honored with the 32nd Kodansha Essay Award for his book “Kotoba o hanareru” (published by Seidosha in 2015). In 2020, he was named Tokyo Honorary Citizen Award. In 2021, Yokoo held a major retrospective, “Genkyo: Yokoo Tadanori”, at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art among other venues. In 2023, his solo exhibition “Tadanori Yokoo: 100 Takes on Hanshan and Shide” was held at the Tokyo National Museum. (Yasugi Masahiro / Translated by Christopher Stephens) (Published online: 2024-03-06)