1916
born on February 14th in Tokyo
1935-76
works as primary school teacher
1942
begins an eight year calligraphy training with Ueda Sôkyû
1951
first exhibition of own calligraphic works in Tokyo
1952
YU-ICHI founds the group “Bokujin-kai” (Ink People Society) with artist friends
1985
died on June 15th
Institutional solo and group exhibitions
(selection)
2021
“Écrire, c'est Dessiner”, Centre Pompidou-Metz (6.11.2021-21.2.2022)
2021
Tensakukai, Unac Tokyo
2018/2019
Epic Abstraction. Pollock to Herrera, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (December 17, 2018 - )
2018
YU-ICHI INOUE, La calligraphie libérée (1916-1985), Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, Albi, France (September 29 - December 17, 2018)
2018
YU-ICHI INOUE, La calligraphie libérée (1916-1985), Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris, Paris, France (July 12 - September 15, 2018)
2018
Julius Bissier and East Asia. The Realm of my Imagination, “Ausstellungshalle” in the Augustinermuseum, Museum für Neue Kunst, Freiburg, Germany (May 19 – September 23, 2018)
2017
YU-ICHI, Nanjing Art University, China
2016
A Centennial Exhibition INOUE Yuichi, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan
2015
Calligraphic Abstraction, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, USA
2015
The End of Modernity in Calligraphy: From Yuichi Inoue, Lee Ufan to Zhang Yu, Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan
2015
Far Yet Close: Calligraphy by Inoue Yuichi, Musée Tomo, Tôkyô, Japan
2015
Yuichi Inoue, Setouchi City Museum of Art, Okayama, Japan
2015
Buddha - 108 Encounteres, Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany
2013
Contemporary Art and Calligraphy - At the Nexus of Painting and Writing, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum, Seoul, Korea
2013
Sharjah Biennial 11, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
2012
Inoue Yuichi: Painting with All of One’s heart, and the Avantgarde Art of Calligraphy, Karuizawa New Art Museum, Karuizawa, Japan
2011
The Art of Writing, Kurhaus-Kolonnaden, Wiesbaden, Germany
2010
Works with the Collection of Rolf Ricke, Villa Merkel, Esslingen, Germany
2008
Works with the Collection of Rolf Ricke, Villa Merkel, Esslingen, Germany
2008
Kanji Art of Inoue Yuichi, Shi Fang Art Museum, Zhengzhou, China
2007-08
Japan and the West, The Filled Void, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg, Germany
2005
Zeichen setzen - YU-ICHI / UECKER, Langen Foundation, Neuss, Germany
2005
Letter . Symbol . Gesture, Carlfriedrich Claus in the context from Klee to Pollock, Kunstsammlung Chemnitz, Germany
2005
Inoue Yuichi, Hangzhou International Calligraphy Art Festival, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China
2003
Ineffably Beautiful, The Mystical Paradox in Twentieth Century Art, Kunsthalle Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany
1999
YU-ICHI INOUE in Seoul, Art Center Seoul, Korea
1995-96
YU-ICHI, Hin, Gallery of the Tianjin Renmin Meishu Chubanshe (Tianjin, People`s Republic of China); Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany; Galerie im Karmeliterkloster, Frankfurt, Germany
1995
YU-ICHI, Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland
1994-95
Screams against the Sky, Japanese Art after 1945. Modernism and Transition, Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama; Guggenheim Museum Soho, New York; Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, USA
1992
The Splendour of Poverty, Azabu Museum, Tôkyô, Japan
1989
YU-ICHI, Works 1955 - 1985, touring exhibition through six Japanese museums: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, Fukuoka; Niigata City Art Museum, Niigata; The Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum of Art, Yamaguchi; The Ehime Prefectural Museum of Art, Ehime; Koriyama City Museum of Art, Fukushima
1987
YU-ICHI, Hundred Flowers, Parco Gallery, Tôkyô, Japan
1986
YU-ICHI, Farewell Thoughts, NEWS, Tôkyô, Japan
1986
YU-ICHI Lives, SEED Hall, Tôkyô, Japan
1984
YU-ICHI, Word Images, UNAC Tôkyô, Japan
1969
Modern World Art, National Museum of Modern Art, Tôkyô, Japan
1965
Inoue Yûichi, Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal, Germany
1963
Writing and Image, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Germany
1961
6th Biennale, São Paulo and Carnegie International, Pittsburgh (PA), USA
1959
documenta 2, Kassel, Germany
1958
50 ans d'art moderne, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium
1957
4th Biennale in São Paulo, Brazil
1955-56
Abstract Art – Japan and the USA, National Museum for Modern Art, Tôkyô L'encre de chine dans la calligraphie et l'art japonais contemporains, touring exhibition for Amsterdam, Basel, Paris, Hamburg and Rome
1954
Modern Japanese Calligraphy, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
1951
First exhibition of own calligraphic works in Tôkyô, Japan
Publications (selection)
2016
YU-ICHI INOUE – A Retrospective, 1955 - 1985, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
2015
Far Yet Close: Calligraphy by Inoue Yuichi, Musée Tomo, Tôkyô, Japan
2015
Buddha - 108 Begegnungen, Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt
2011
Catalogue: "The Art of Writing", Kurhaus-Kolonnaden, Wiesbaden
2007
Catalogue: "Japan and the West", Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg
2005
Catalogue: "Zeichen setzen : Günther Uecker und Inoue Yu-Ichi", Langen Foundation, Neuss
2005
Catalogue: "Letter . Symbol . Gesture, Carlfriedrich Claus in the context from Klee to Pollock", Kunstsammlung Chemnitz
2003
Catalogue / Book: "Ineffably Beautiful, The Mystical Paradox in Twentieth Century Art", Kunsthalle Erfurt
2001
YU-ICHI, Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. II, UNAC Tokyo
2000
Publication (in two volumes): International symposium "Wordworks for a New Millennium – YU-ICHI"
1999
Catalogue: "YU-ICHI - 100 Works", Art Center Seoul, Korea, June 1999 (Korean)
1998
Publication: "HIN - Inoue Yûichi", ed. Unagami Masaomi, UNAC Tokyo (jap., engl.)
1998
YU-ICHI, Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. I, UNAC Tokyo
1996
YU-ICHI, Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. III, UNAC Tokyo
1996
Publication: "Inoue Yûichi: Sho no kaihô to wa", ed. Masaomi Unagami, publ. UNAC Tokyo (jap.)
1995-96
Catalogue: YU-ICHI "HIN", Gallery of the Tianjin Renmin Meishu Chubanshe (Tianjin, VR China), Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt und Galerie im Karmeliterkloster Frankfurt (ger., chin., engl.)
1995-96
Leporello: "YU-ICHI, The Great Bombing of Tokyo", for the exhibition in the Karmeliterkloster Frankfurt am Main (jap. und ger.)
1995
Publication: "Inoue Yûichi, Tokyo daikûshû" ("Inoue Yûichi, The Great Bombing of Tokyo"), publ. UNAC Tokyo (jap.)
1995
Catalogue: "YU-ICHI", Kunsthalle Basel (ger.)
1994-95
Catalogue: "Screams against the Sky, Japanese Art after 1945, Modernism and Transition", Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama; Guggenheim Museum Soho, New York, und Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
1994
Videofilm: "YU-ICHI - Scribo Ergo Sum", ed. UNAC Tokyo (ger., engl.)
1993
Catalogue: "YU-ICHI, Works on Paper", Japan Art Galerie Frankfurt (ger., engl.)
1992
Leporello: "The Splendour of Poverty", Azabu Museum, Tokyo
1991
Catalogue: "YU-ICHI, Works 1955-85", "Ôkina Inoue Yûichi-ten" - touring exhibition through three Japanese museums, 1991 (reprint of the catalogue from 1989)
1989
Catalogue: "YU-ICHI, Works 1955-85", "Ôkina Inoue Yûichi-ten" National Museum of Modern Art, Kyôto, 1989 (jap., engl.)
1986
Catalogue: "YU-ICHI – Farewell Thoughts", NEWZ, Tokyo
1982
Publication: "Taka" - The work consists of a cardboard, slipcase, leporello book with six works of "Taka" by YU-ICHI on the one side and the novella "Taka" by Ôoka Shôhei on the other, as well as a record with the composition Kaikô ("Encounter") by Ichiyanagi Toshi and the reading of the novella "Taka" (speaker: Kishida Kyôko), publ. and prod. UNAC Tokyo (jap.)
1977
Publication: "Inoue Yûichi no sho - Sho by YU-ICHI 49-77", ed. Masaomi Unagami, publ. UNAC Tokyo (jap., engl.).
1965
Catalogue: "Inoue Yûichi", Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal (ger.)
Public collections
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (Japan)
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (Japan)
The National Museum of Modern Art, Osaka (Japan)
The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma (Japan)
The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama (Japan)
The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art (Japan)
Niigata City Art Museum (Japan)
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art (Japan)
Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum (Japan)
Chigasaki City Museum of Art (Japan)
Chiba City Museum of Art (Japan)
Matsumoto City Museum of Art (Japan)
Okazaki Mindscape Museum (Japan)
Today Art Museum, Beijing (China)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (USA)
Museum für ostasiatische Kunst, Cologne (Germany)
Langen Foundation, Neuss (Germany)
Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal (Germany)
Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München (Germany)
Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt (Germany)
Museum Rietberg, Zürich (Switzerland)
2022, Ecrire, c’est dessiner, Centre Pompidou-Metz
2021, Tensakukai, Unac Tokyo
2018/2019, Epic Abstraction. Pollock to Herrera, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
2018/2019, 40 Years MOK, Cologne
2018, YU-ICHI INOUE, La calligraphie libérée (1916-1985), Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris
2018, The Realm of my Imagination. ulius Bissier and East Asia, Augustinermuseum, Freiburg, Germany
2017, Natur(en), Neuer Kunstverein Giessen, Germany
2017, Natur(en), Neuer Kunstverein Giessen, Germany
2016, YU-ICHI INOUE. 1955 – 1985, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan
2015, Far Yet Close: Calligraphy by Inoue Yuichi, Musée Tomo, Tokyo, Japan
2015, Yuichi Inoue, Setouchi City Museum of Art, Okayama, Japan
2015, Buddha – 108 Begegnungen, Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt
2013, Sharjah Biennale 11, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate
2011, The Art of Writing, Kurhaus-Kolonnaden, Wiesbaden
Sammlung, Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Köln
Sammlung, Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Berlin
2007, Japan und der Westen, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg
2005, Zeichen setzen - YU-ICHI / UECKER, Langen Foundation, Neuss
2005, Zeichen setzen - YU-ICHI / UECKER, Langen Foundation, Neuss
2005, Schrift . Zeichen . Geste, Kunstsammlung Chemnitz
2003, Unaussprechlich Schön, Kunsthalle Erfurt
2000, YU-ICHI Symposium, Kyoto, Japan
1995, Tôkyô
1995, Tôkyô
1995, Die Bombardierung Tôkyôs, Karmeliterkloster, Frankfurt am Main
1995, HIN, Werke 1954 bis 1982, Kunsthalle Schirn, Frankfurt am Main
1995, YU-ICHI, Kunsthalle Basel
1994, Screams Against the Sky, Guggenheim Museum, New York
1992, Die Grossartigkeit der Armut, Azabu Museum, Tôkyô