絹谷幸二

Koji Kinutani devoted his life to reviving classical fresco painting for modern Japan. Born in Nara in 1943, he studied oil painting from childhood and graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1966 under Ryohei Koiso. After working briefly in Japan, he traveled to Venice in 1971, where he spent two and a half years mastering traditional fresco techniques at a local art academy. Returning with his breakthrough work "Portrait of Mr. Anselmo" in 1974, he won the Yasui Prize at age 31—the youngest ever recipient—establishing himself as a major figure in contemporary Japanese painting.