About
Vision
Art Front Gallery is a company actively engaged in all aspects of art.
Our objectives are to provide support for art that is both contemporary in spirit and points to the future and to promote art created from a broad global perspective and in-depth social context. This approach is grounded in our belief that art enables us to better understand human thoughts and intentions.
When selecting artists and works of art, we look for durable impact over time as well as relevance to the world today.
Responding proactively to the changes in environment and lifestyles that surround us, we search for appropriate use of art in urban development and in living spaces.
We treasure our close relationships with communities throughout the world. As we see it, effective protection of the global environment begins with respect for the differences that make each locality and region its own irreplaceable cosmos.
Our business exists
to find and present high-quality works of art
to give our all to every production
to harmonize art with the environment in which it is displayed
to be open and fair in every transactions.
Corporate Profile
| Art Front Gallery Co., Ltd. | Hillside Terrace A, 29-18 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0033, Japan Tel: 81-(0)3-3476-4868 Fax: 81-(0)3-3476-4874 |
| Chairperson | Fram Kitagawa |
| President | Mitsu Hara |
| Founded | November 17, 1982 |
| Staff | 50 |
| Affiliated companies | Gendaikikakushitsu Publishers NPO Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Collaborative Organization NPO Setouchi Koebi Network Oku-Noto Suzu Yassaa Project |
Profile
FRAM KITAGAWA
Born in Niigata Prefecture in 1946. Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts (majored in Buddhist sculpture history).
In 1971, Fram Kitagawa formed a team called “Julia Pempel” with students and graduates of Tokyo University of the Arts to be involved in planning and producing various exhibitions, concerts, theatres and events. In 1982, he founded Art Front Gallery, Co., Ltd.
Kitagawa introduced to Japan works of art that at the time were not well known. He has been responsible for a wide range of art projects such as the Antoni Gaudi exhibition that traveled to 11 Japanese cities in 1978-1979 and the Apartheid Non! International Art Festival that was shown to 380,000 people at 194 venues throughout Japan in 1988-1990.
He has received high praise for his involvement in activities related to community development, such as his lead role in the planning of the Faret Tachikawa Art Project and the cultural activities he oversees at the Daikanyama Hillside Terrace. He has served as the general director of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale since 2000, and has made a major contribution to the development of the region through art. He has also served as the general director of the Setouchi Triennale, the Boso Satoyama Art Festival: Ichihara Art x Mix, Northern Alps Art Festival as well as the Oku-Noto Triennale.
He is the recipient of many awards, including the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Republic, the Order of Culture from the Republic of Poland, the 2006 Japanese Education Minister’s Award for Art (in the field of art promotion), and the Order of Australia: Honorary Member (AM) in the General Division (2012). He was awarded the Japanese Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon in 2016, the Asahi Prize in 2017 and Person of Cultural Merit in 2018.
His book on Echigo-Tsumari Triennale has been translated and published in USA, China, Taiwan, and Korea. His co-authored book on Setouchi Triennale (with Soichiro Fukutake) has been translated and published in China and Taiwan.
In 1971, Fram Kitagawa formed a team called “Julia Pempel” with students and graduates of Tokyo University of the Arts to be involved in planning and producing various exhibitions, concerts, theatres and events. In 1982, he founded Art Front Gallery, Co., Ltd.
Kitagawa introduced to Japan works of art that at the time were not well known. He has been responsible for a wide range of art projects such as the Antoni Gaudi exhibition that traveled to 11 Japanese cities in 1978-1979 and the Apartheid Non! International Art Festival that was shown to 380,000 people at 194 venues throughout Japan in 1988-1990.
He has received high praise for his involvement in activities related to community development, such as his lead role in the planning of the Faret Tachikawa Art Project and the cultural activities he oversees at the Daikanyama Hillside Terrace. He has served as the general director of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale since 2000, and has made a major contribution to the development of the region through art. He has also served as the general director of the Setouchi Triennale, the Boso Satoyama Art Festival: Ichihara Art x Mix, Northern Alps Art Festival as well as the Oku-Noto Triennale.
He is the recipient of many awards, including the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Republic, the Order of Culture from the Republic of Poland, the 2006 Japanese Education Minister’s Award for Art (in the field of art promotion), and the Order of Australia: Honorary Member (AM) in the General Division (2012). He was awarded the Japanese Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon in 2016, the Asahi Prize in 2017 and Person of Cultural Merit in 2018.
His book on Echigo-Tsumari Triennale has been translated and published in USA, China, Taiwan, and Korea. His co-authored book on Setouchi Triennale (with Soichiro Fukutake) has been translated and published in China and Taiwan.
Positions and Committee Memberships
- Chairman & CEO, Art Front Gallery Co., Ltd.
- Executive Director, Fukutake Foundation
- President & CEO, Gendai Kikakushitsu Co., Ltd.
- Chairperson, NPO Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Collaborative Organization
- Chairperson, NPO Setouchi Koebi Network
- Committee Member, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (2012–present)
- Chair, Furusato Event Award Jury, Center for Regional Development (2011–present)
- Adviser, Reborn-Art Festival Executive Committee (2015–present)（2015～）
- Adviser, Center for Regional Development（2021～）
- Committee Member, Expert Panel for the Suzu City Reconstruction Plan (2024–present)
Publications
Related Posts
News
Message from Fram Kitagawa: The Need for Art Today, in the Midst of Our Changing World
Posted: Tuesday22 February 2022
News
Art Front Gallery Chairman Fram Kitagawa Talks: In Search of Art as “Social Common Capital”
Posted: Friday29 January 2021
History
| 1971 | Julia Pempel Atelier was started by students and graduates of Tokyo University of the Arts. Engaged in planning and producing exhibitions, concerts, the theater and events. |
| 1977 | Curated and administrated the exhibition Pioneers of Contemporary Art in Japan at Tokyo Central Museum. |
| 1978 | Organized the Antoni Gaudi exhibition touring 11 cities in Japan (-1979)  |
| 1979 | Opened a graphic gallery Art Front. |
| 1980 | Organized the Print Show for Children, which travelled to 77 junior high schools throughout Japan (-1982). Fram Kitagawa acquired the managing right of Gendaikikakushitsu Publishers.  |
| 1982 | Art Front Gallery Co., Ltd. was established. |
| 1984 | Opened Hillside Gallery at Hillside Terrace. Organized the Tadashi Kawamata exhibition Under Construction, which was stopped after two weeks. Established a music production company Art Front Produce (transferred to a separate company in 1999). |
| 1988 | Organized Apartheid Non! International Art Festival (the Art against Apartheid exhibition originally launched by UNESCO) in 194 sites throughout Japan and attracted 380,000 visitors (-1990). Coordinated travelling the exhibition to South Korea in 1991.  |
| 1991 | Involved in Christo & Jeanne-Claude’s project Umbrellas: Japan- USA 1984-1991 |
| 1992 | Complete relocation to Hillside Terrace, Daikanyama. |
| 1994 | Faret Tachikawa Art Project for the redevelopment at the former US base site completed.  |
| 1997 | Coordinated a series of exhibitions to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Hillside Terrace, including Etat des Lieux, by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgarian Contemporary Art Exhibition, and Antoni Gaudi. Hillside Terrace was awarded the Mecenaz Grand Prize. Coordinated the Faret Tachikawa: City and Art Today exhibition, travelling to ten cities in Taiwan, Sofia (Bulgaria), and Prague (Czech Republic) (-1999). |
| 1988 | Commissioned to curate and administrate Musée Hamaguchi Yozo:Yamasa Collection (to date) |
| 1999 | Organized the biannual outdoor exhibition Daikanyama Installation (-2013) Coordinated the event Chopin, Poland, Japan to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan-Poland Diplomatic Relationship |
| 2000 | Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale launched (held every three years to date) Art coordination for Daikanyama Address, redevelopment at the Daikanyama Dojunkai Apartment. |
| 2001 | In response to the request from EU member states’ embassies, coordinated the biannual exhibition New Trends of Architecture in Europe and Japan (which developed to New Trends of Architecture in Europe and Asia-Pacific in 2004) in 17 cities including Tokyo and European Cultural Capitals (-2011). |
| 2003 | Coordinated the Australian Aboriginal contemporary art exhibition Spirits of Country touring Echigo-Tsumari, Tokyo and Kushiro. |
| 2004 | Coordinated the Year of Germany in Japan: German Design Project. |
| 2005 | Engaged in the first >Anyang Public Art Project in Korea. |
| 2007 | Art coordination for The Peninsula Tokyo. Since then, engaged in many art projects for luxury hotels. |
| 2008 | Art coordination for Park Hyatt Shanghai. Since then, engaged in many hotels in China. Entrusted to plan and coordinate cultural programs for Club Hillside at Hillside Terrace (to date). |
| 2009 | Coordinated art projects for Aqua Metropolis Osaka 2009 Entrusted with consulting services for Shibuya Hikarie Creative Space /8 (to date) |
| 2010 | Setouchi Triennale launched (held every three years to |
| 2012 | Art coordination for Daikanyama T-SITE . Curated the exhibition at ANJIN (to date） |
| 2013 | Designated to curate and administrate Ichihara Lakeside Museum (to date). Established ART FRONT GALLERY Shanghai Co., Ltd..(whose business was transferred to a local company in 2018) |
| 2014 | Coordinated art production for the first Ichihra Art x Mix（Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture） |
| 2016 | Planned and coordinated the art projects at eight temples for Culture City of East Asia 2016: Nara,including Cai Guo Qiang’s “To Make a Ship.” Planned and coordinated the 1st Setouchi Asia Forum(to date) |
| 2017 | Northern Alps Art Festival (Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture) launched Oku-Noto Triennale (Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture) launched |
| 2018 | Isobe Yukihisa Memorial Echigo-Tsumari Kiyotsu Soko Museum of Art (SoKo) established |
| 2019 | Art coordination for Shanghai Urban Space Art Season 2019 Coordinated the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Hillside Terrace |
Awards
| Faret Tachikawa Public Art Project | Housing and Urban Development Corporation President Award（1995） ／1994 Planning and Designing Award of the City Planning Institute of Japan（1995）／Special Award of Japan Association of Artists Craftsmen and Architects（1995） ／Urban Landscape Award for Landscape Design（1996） |
| Yume Messe Miyagi | Urban Landscape Award for Landscape Design（1997） |
| Daikanyama Hillside Terrace | Mecenat Awards 98（1998） |
| Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale | Hometown Event Grand Prize（Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award｜2001）／Tokyo Creation Award for Creating Art Scene（2002）／Minister of Internal Affair and Communication Award in Community Planning（2004）／The 7thAll Right Nippon Award Grand Prize（Prime Minister Award｜2009）／Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation Award in Community Planning（2010）／Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award（2011）／Good Design Award Gold Prize（Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award｜2018）／The 11th Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency Award（2019） |
| Development of Aino Station in Fukuroi City | SDA Award of Excellence（2001） |
| JR Tower Art Project | Brunel Award (2005) |
| Setouchi Triennale | “The 15th Hometown Event Award” Special Jury Award（2010）／The 4th Promoting Ocean Nation Award（2011）／The 1st Japan Tourism Award Grand Prize（2015） |
| Art Setouchi | Good Design Award（2018）／ Asian Townscapes Award（2018） |
| Ichihara Lakeside Museum | One Show Identity Design Gold Pencil（2014）／ ADC Award（2014）／ The 18th CS Design Award Grand Prize（2014）／ The 48th SDA Award Sign Design Award of Excellence（2014）／ The Architectural Institute of Japan Award for New Face（2015） |