Takeo Yamaguchi

Takeo Yamaguchi was a pioneer of abstract painting in Japan. Born in Keijō (now Seoul, South Korea), he studied under Saburōsuke Okada at the Hongo Painting Institute before enrolling at the Tokyo University of the Arts in 1922. After graduating in 1927, Yamaguchi travelled to France, where he was influenced by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and fellow Japanese artist Yūzō Saeki, who was also in Paris at the time. He later developed his signature style, characterised by bold geometric forms, minimal compositions, and an earthy colour palette, contributing significantly to the evolution of abstract art in Japan.