Tadashi Sugimata was born in Tokyo in 1914. He graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1938 and his early artistic style was influenced by Surrealism. In 1939 he was one of the founding members of Bijutsu Bunka Kyokai [Art and Culture Association], an association of anti-war surrealist painters and poets.

The Second World War brought much upheaval and Sugimata’s two brothers, as well as other artist friends were killed, and many of his earlier works were destroyed. The Bijutsu Bunka Kyokai was suppressed during the war, with some of its members imprisoned.

Sugimata left the group in 1953, and from then on worked independently and focused on showing his work in solo exhibitions, Japanese contemporary art exhibitions o...