Japanese Poster Design 1980-1984
From the 1984 exhibition “A panorama of contemporary art in Japan－graphic art & design” at The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama

In this Design Collection feature, we present Japanese posters from the early 1980s, a vibrant period in the foundation of our museum's poster collection. This selection is a digest of works displayed in the 1984 special exhibition “A panorama of contemporary art in Japan－graphic art & design” held at the former The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama.

Our predecessor, the former The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama, began building the foundation of its poster collection from its opening in 1981 by exhibiting and acquiring works by active designers through poster exhibitions. This 1984 exhibition , “A panorama of contemporary art in Japan－graphic art & design”, offers a glimpse into the landscape of Japanese poster design in the early 1980s. Among the striking commercial and cultural posters by artists such as Eiko Ishioka, Katsumi Asaba, and Tsuguya Inoue showcased in the exhibition, reflecting the economic prosperity of the time, Yusaku Kamekura's 《HIROSHIMA APPEALS》 (1983) conveys the necessity of questioning peace, precisely because of that affluent era.