Koji Kinutani1943~2025 絹谷幸二

Kinutani Koji (January 24, 1943 – August 1, 2025) was a Japanese Western-style painter born in Nara City, Nara Prefecture. He graduated from the oil painting department of the Tokyo University of the Arts in 1966 and completed graduate studies in mural painting at the same university, then studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia in Italy in 1971, where he researched classical affresco (fresco) techniques. He won the Yasui Prize at the youngest age on record in 1974 for “Portrait of Mr. Anselmo” and was active as a member of the Dokuritsu Bijutsu Kyokai. He was elected to the Japan Art Academy in 2000, named professor emeritus at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2010, and received the Order of Culture in 2021. He was renowned for his vivid coloring and powerful compositions in affresco.