Naoki Funakoshi Exhibition at the Shoto Museum of Art from December 5; From Early Works to Those of His Final Years

“Naoki Funakoshi: Giving Form to the Invisible – Another Singular Talent from the Funakoshi Family” will be held at the Shoto Museum of Art (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo) from Saturday, December 5, 2026 to Sunday, February 7, 2027. Naoki Funakoshi (1953–2017), whose father was the sculptor Yasutake Funakoshi and whose older brother was Katsura Funakoshi, moved back and forth between sculpture and painting and continued to exhibit independently, unaffiliated with any group. The museum positions the exhibition as the first opportunity to present the full scope of his work, from unpublished early works to works from his final years close to his last.

Who was Naoki Funakoshi? From two-dimensional works to abstract sculpture

Naoki Funakoshi was born in Tokyo in 1953. He graduated from the Department of Painting at Tokyo Zokei University and at first presented two-dimensional works. From the late 1980s he also made abstract sculptures, and according to the museum he developed his work by moving back and forth between sculpture and painting.

His father, Yasutake Funakoshi (1912–2002), and his brother Katsura Funakoshi (1951–2024), two years his senior, were both figurative sculptors. The museum’s introduction notes that Naoki followed them onto the path of making art. He continued to exhibit independently throughout his life. In 2017, he fell ill and died at the age of 64.

Why now? Nearly 10 years after his death, six years after the Katsura Funakoshi exhibition

The museum explains that it is introducing the full scope of Naoki’s work for the first time now, as the 10th anniversary of his death approaches. From Saturday, December 5, 2020 to Sunday, January 31, 2021, the museum held a solo exhibition of his brother, “Katsura Funakoshi: The Spring Within Me.”

The press materials at that time said that Chapter 5, “What Flows Within Me,” would introduce drawings and paintings by members of the Funakoshi family. They also noted that Naoki, raised in the same environment, chose the path of sculpture, painting in his early years before moving to sculpture in the late 1980s, and described him as having created abstract sculptures rich in poetic feeling.

His brother Katsura died in 2024. Naoki, who was mentioned as a family member in the Katsura exhibition six years ago, now takes center stage in a solo exhibition at the same museum.

What can visitors see? From forms like legs and tentacles to drops, hearts and spheres

According to the exhibition flyer, Naoki’s works began with amorphous forms reminiscent of the legs or tentacles of buildings or living creatures, and then underwent unexpected transformations into drops, heart shapes and spheres. In the 2000s, he created distinctive drawings and three-dimensional works that seemed to probe human existence.

The flyer describes Naoki as an artist who struggled to give form to the “vague things” within him and the “voices” he heard.

The flyer and exhibition page show images of the following works. In chronological order, they begin with “Untitled” (1988, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo), drawn in pastel, pencil and colored pencil. The bronze “Chuckwill’s Widow” (1993, Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum) and the oil painting “Three Hearts” (1998) follow. From the 2000s come “Drawing” (2006) in acrylic and color spray, “Figure” (2008) in ink and “Judas Iscariot” (2009) in charcoal. The most recent of the images is “Woman in Red” (2013, MTM Collection) in charcoal and pastel. Works without a listed collection are in private collections. As of October 20, the number of works and chapter structure were not given on the official website.

Related events: a talk by the Funakoshi family and tours of Seiichi Shirai’s architecture

• Commemorative talk “The Presence of Naoki Funakoshi: Speaking of a Human Being”: Sunday, January 24, 2027, from 16:00 for about an hour, B2F hall. Speakers are members of the Funakoshi family (Naeko Funakoshi, Haruhiko Suemori and others), with a museum curator as interviewer. Capacity 70, by advance application (lottery if oversubscribed); apply by return postcard or through the form on the museum’s website (one person per application). Applications must arrive by Tuesday, January 5, 2027

• Special lecture “The Phenomenon of Naoki Funakoshi”: Sunday, January 31, 2027, from 15:00 for about an hour, B2F hall. The lecturer is museum curator Chie Hiraizumi. Capacity 70, first come, first served; no advance registration

• Gallery talks by curators: Sunday, December 13, 2026, Saturday, January 9, 2027 and Friday, January 15, from 14:00 for about 40 minutes each day. No advance registration

• Tours of the museum building: staff guide visitors around the museum building designed by Seiichi Shirai. Eight tours on Fridays from Friday, December 11 to Friday, February 5, 2027, each from 18:00 for about 40 minutes. About 20 people per tour; no advance registration

All are free to attend, but museum admission is required.

Tickets, prices, opening hours and access

Admission is 1,000 yen for adults, 800 yen for university students, 500 yen for high school students and those 60 and over, and 100 yen for elementary and junior high school students. Groups and Shibuya residents pay 800 yen for adults, 640 yen for university students, 400 yen for high school students and those 60 and over, and 80 yen for elementary and junior high school students. Elementary and junior high school students are free on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and Shibuya residents are free every Friday (proof of address required). People with disabilities and one companion are also free. According to the museum’s visitor information, payment is by cash or HachiPay only.

Opening hours are not given on the exhibition page. The museum’s visitor information lists 10:00–18:00 during special exhibitions (until 20:00 on Fridays; last entry 30 minutes before closing). The museum is closed on Mondays (open on January 11), Tuesday, January 12 and over the New Year holidays, December 29 – January 3.

The address is 2-14-14 Shoto, Shibuya-ku. It is about a 5-minute walk from Shinsen Station on the Keio Inokashira Line and about a 15-minute walk from Shibuya Station (JR, Tokyu and Tokyo Metro). There is no parking. Exhibitions and events starting in December are gathered in the December 2026 Art Event Calendar, and events in the new year are introduced in the January 2027 Art Event Calendar.

Overview

Name: Naoki Funakoshi: Giving Form to the Invisible – Another Singular Talent from the Funakoshi Family
Dates: Saturday, December 5, 2026 – Sunday, February 7, 2027
Hours: Not given on the exhibition page (according to the museum’s visitor information, 10:00–18:00 during special exhibitions, until 20:00 on Fridays; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Mondays (open on January 11), Tuesday, January 12, New Year holidays (December 29 – January 3)
Venue: The Shoto Museum of Art
Address: 2-14-14 Shoto, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Access: About a 5-minute walk from Shinsen Station on the Keio Inokashira Line; about a 15-minute walk from Shibuya Station (JR, Tokyu, Tokyo Metro)
Admission: Adults 1,000 yen, university students 800 yen, high school students and 60 and over 500 yen, elementary and junior high school students 100 yen (groups and Shibuya residents: adults 800 yen, university students 640 yen, high school students and 60 and over 400 yen, elementary and junior high school students 80 yen). Free for elementary and junior high school students on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Free for Shibuya residents every Friday. Free for people with disabilities and one companion
Inquiries: 03-3465-9421
Official website: https://shoto-museum.jp/exhibitions/214naoki/
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Exterior of the Shoto Museum of Art (photo: Dddeco, CC BY 2.5, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on the Shoto Museum of Art official website, the exhibition flyer and the museum’s press materials for the “Katsura Funakoshi: The Spring Within Me” exhibition (2020).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team