昭和・戦後の日本で前衛美術を牽引した画家・パフォーマンスアーティスト。
大阪府生まれ、関西学院大学文学部を卒業後、1954年に前衛芸術グループ 具体美術協会(GUTAI)の創立メンバーとして参加しました。

彼の作品は、従来の「絵画」概念を大きく揺さぶるもので、例えば新聞紙を貼り重ねた支持体に穴をあける「Hole」シリーズ、あるいは絵具を詰めた瓶を投げつけて画面に色を炸裂させる「瓶投げ絵画」、さらには大砲の筒で絵具を発射する「大砲絵画」といった実験的な手法で広く知られています。

1970年代以降は、郵便を媒体とした「メールアート」に力を入れ、世界60か国・年間8000のネットワーク交流に参加したほか、1976年には前衛アーティスト団体 アーティスト・ユニオン の事務局長を務め、若手や障がいのあるアーティストの育成・支援にも尽力しました。

晩年まで精力的に活動を続け、海外の主要美術館に作品が収蔵されるなど、国際的にも高い評価を受けました。2013年、兵庫県西宮市の病院で急性心不全により85歳で逝去。

A painter and performance artist who led the avant-garde art movement in post-war Japan during the Showa era.
Born in Osaka Prefecture, after graduating from the Faculty of Letters at Kwansei Gakuin University, he joined the avant-garde art group Gutai Art Association (GUTAI) as a founding member in 1954.

His works significantly challenged the conventional concept of "painting," and he is widely known for his experimental techniques, such as the "Hole" series, which involved making holes in a support made of layered newspaper, the "Bottle Throwing Painting," which involved throwing bottles filled with paint to create explosions of color on the canvas, and the "Cannon Painting," which involved firing paint from a cannon barrel.

From the 1970s onward, he focused on "mail art," using postal services as a medium, participating in a network exchange of 8,000 people annually across 60 countries. In 1976, he served as the secretary-general of the avant-garde artist group Artist Union, and also dedicated himself to nurturing and supporting young and disabled artists.

He continued to work energetically until his later years, and his works are held in major museums overseas, receiving high international acclaim. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 85 from acute heart failure at a hospital in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.