Gallery Naruyama
“Sadao Hasegawa 70s”
2024 March 30th (SAT) – April 30th (TUE)

For the celebratory opening exhibition of TOGA TRIANGLE a new exhibition project launching at TOGA AOYAMA, we welcome Gallery Naruyama and gallery owner Akimitsu Naruyama to showcase the collection of paintings by Sadao Hasegawa.

©Sadao Hasegawa

Untitled/Acrylic on Canvas/1970s

This exhibition features 12 paintings created in the early 1970s at the outset of his career.
In addition to portrayals of gallant male figures representative of Hasegawa’s work, paintings of women made in dreamy blues, mystical purples and sublime monochromes are also exhibited. Another distinctive feature of his works during this time is the recurring motifs of snakes painted as if to portray the erosion of the attractive human figure.

From romantic works created with the influence of psychedelics, to pieces painted with his admirations towards foreign lands such as Africa, Sadao Hasegawa’s paintings are full of humor and power indicative of the 1970’s.

Gallery Naruyama

Gallery Naruyama opened in 1997 with a collective exhibition of photographer Wilhelm von Gloeden. Since then, the gallery has continued to question ‘new value’ and collects works based on science, medicine and anthropology. From Atsushi Suwa who depicts the deepest inner sides of his subjects through meticulous interviews, Cosima von Bonin who is unique at first glance but possess a sense of irony, the gallery has also introduced young talents from Japan such as sculptor Kosuke Ikeshima, painter Yugo Kohrogi, photographer Momo Okabe and graphic writer WANTO. The gallery also has a collection of surrealists Pierre Molinier, Hans Bellmer, Cecil Beaton, Tamotsu Yato, medical photographs from the Meiji period, and photographs of Conan Doyle’s former possessions of psychical research material.

Sadao Hasegawa

Born in the Tokai area of Japan in 1945, he starts to take up drawing on his own.
In 1973, he held the exhibition “Sadao Hasegawa’s Alchemism-Meditation for 1973” at 「Be-in」in Shibuya Seibu department store, an iconic location of the time in Tokyo, Japan.
From contributing illustrations to painting, collaging, drawing and doll making, he worked across a range of genres. In 1990 he publishes “SADAO HASEGAWA” from G.M.P Co. England. Though receiving multiple offers to exhibit his works worldwide, he continued to refuse and prevented his work from leaving the country, and instead roamed around countries such as Indonesia and Thailand. In 1996, a collection of oriental and erotic drawings “Paradise Vision” was published from Kochi Studio. 1999, he passes away in Bangkok, Thailand.
In 2000, with the request of his family who found a will written by Sadao before his death, the exhibition “LINGA”was held at Gallery Naruyama.

2023, Gallery Naruyama held the exhibition “Winter”, and in line with it published “SADAO. HASEGAWA 1945–1999”. Currently showcasing is the second term of the exhibition “Spring” (Until May 18th 2024).