Kyoto Seika University Gallery Terra-S, the on-campus gallery of Kyoto Seika University in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, is holding its third permanent exhibition of the 2026 academic year, "SAITO Hiroshi: Focusing on Early Works" (斎藤博：初期作品を中心に), from Friday, November 27 to Saturday, December 19, 2026. Admission is free.
About the Artist
SAITO Hiroshi (1938–2025) was born in Hyogo Prefecture and studied Western-style painting at Kyoto Gakugei University (now Kyoto University of Education). He later studied under ITANI Kenzo (伊谷賢蔵, 1902–1970), who became his father-in-law. From 1968 he was involved in Western-style painting education at Kyoto Seika Junior College (京都精華短期大学), and he devoted many years to the education and administration of the university, including serving as university president and dean of the Faculty of Art.
In 1967, his "Fisherman" (漁夫) series, painted after he researched the lives of fishermen on the Shimokita Peninsula in Aomori in winter, was accepted for the first time at the 22nd Kodo Bijutsu Exhibition (行動美術展). The following year, Fisherman of Shimokita (《下北の漁夫》) won the Kyoten Mayor's Prize (京展市長賞). In 1973, Dwellers of the Savanna (《サバンナの住人たち》), painted after a journey to East Africa with a Kyoto University anthropological primate research expedition, won the Kyoten Prize (京展賞).
His motifs changed widely over time: the "Morning Market" (朝市) series depicting women working at a morning market on the Noto Peninsula, the "Children" (子供) series focusing on everyday life indoors, nudes, mannequins, and more. In his later years, he created works in the assemblage technique, using a variety of materials such as corrugated cardboard, thick paper, resin boards, Styrofoam, and metal plates.
About the Exhibition
The exhibition presents three of the seven early works held in the university's collection that are being exhibited for the first time, along with Dwellers of the Savanna, which was shown in the special exhibition "Animals Depicted" (描かれた動物たち) and continues to be on view.
Reference Works
SAITO Hiroshi, Fish and Fishermen (魚と漁夫たち), 1970. Collection of Kyoto Seika University Gallery Terra-S
SAITO Hiroshi, Dwellers of the Savanna (サバンナの住人たち), 1973. Collection of Kyoto Seika University Gallery Terra-S
SAITO Hiroshi, Mannequins and Other Things in a Room (部屋の中のマネキンなど), 1984. Collection of Kyoto Seika University Gallery Terra-S
Exhibition Details
Kyoto Seika University Gallery Terra-S, 2026 Third-Term Permanent Exhibition "SAITO Hiroshi: Focusing on Early Works"
- Dates: Friday, November 27 – Saturday, December 19, 2026
- Hours: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Closed: Sundays, and Monday, December 7 – Thursday, December 10
- Venue: Kyoto Seika University Gallery Terra-S, Permanent Exhibition Room (3F, Meisokan Building (明窓館), 137 Iwakura Kino-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto)
- Admission: Free
- Featured artist: SAITO Hiroshi
- Website: https://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/event/2026/1109_1.html
Dates, hours, and content may change due to unforeseen circumstances. Please check the gallery website below for the latest information.
- Gallery website: https://gallery.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/
- Exhibition page: https://gallery.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/exhibition/20261127c/
