In a career that has spanned over five decades, Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano has earned international acclaim as an animator, illustrator, video game creator, and fine artist. His diverse talents are now showcased in the largest European retrospective of his work, which has opened in Milan at the Fabbrica del Vapore art complex. The exhibition, titled “Amano Corpus Animae,” honors Amano as a 'trans-medium artist,' blending his Japanese style with Western influences ranging from the Italian Renaissance to Marvel superheroes and Pop Art.
The exhibition curator, Fabio Viola, explains, 'One of the aims of this exhibition is to grant him artistic recognition, bringing, for the first time in Europe, a master like Yoshitaka Amano who has not been displayed in major European museums until now.' Amano's career, which spans from his early days as an animator at Tatsunoko studio at age 15 to recent projects like posters commemorating Puccini’s centenary, embodies his belief that an artist is someone with multiple talents.
During a press preview, Amano remarked, 'From what I see in Renaissance artists like Michelangelo, artists encompass everything. They created sculptures, costume designs, and, of course, paintings.' Some fans might recognize his work from his time at Tatsunoko, where he trained by sketching the anime version of Speed Racer before creating characters like Gatchaman and Tekkaman. In the 1980s, Amano ventured out on his own, illustrating science fantasy classics like the Vampire Hunter D novel series and making a significant impact in the video game industry with the immensely popular Final Fantasy franchise.
The exhibition also features some of his more recent and lesser-known works, such as an illustration for the January 2020 issue of Vogue Italia, which is the only cover not to feature a live model; an album cover for David Bowie featuring the artist and his wife, Iman; and the Candy Girl series, a collection of Pop Art and manga-inspired paintings on aluminum. 'There were people who grew up with my works in real time. Those from the 1970s, I think, will appreciate my animation. Video games for the next generation, while the art can be recognized by two or three generations,' Amano said.
Viola selected the 137 original works on display from Amano’s extensive archive of over 10,000 drawings, paintings, and other works stored in three warehouses in Tokyo. Amano does not sell any work that has not been commissioned, and Viola noted that many pieces had not been seen since they were stored decades ago. 'Every fan would immediately recognize his style,' Viola said. 'True, it is full of influences. Anyone with a bit of art history knowledge would find elements of art nouveau, Klimt, bits of Renaissance, or the Ukiyo-e and traditional Japanese art print techniques.' Key features include lightly drawn eyebrows, smears of color, and the brush strokes of acrylic paint.
The retrospective was organized by Lucca Comics in collaboration with the city of Milan and will run until 1 March 2025 at the Fabbrica del Vapore.
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