Harumi Sonoyama
Born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1950. He graduated from the Painting Department of Tokyo Zokei University in 1972. From 1976 to 1978, he was sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan to study in Europe and the United States, where he focused on printmaking techniques.
Sonoyama advocates for a painterly approach to printmaking. His works are characterized by soft and restrained color, concise brushwork, refined sensibility, and exceptional technical precision. His mastery of lithography represents one of the highest standards of contemporary printmaking in Japan and internationally.
Since the early 1970s, Sonoyama has been active in major international exhibitions. In recent years, his artistic focus has gradually shifted from the observation of “objects” to an exploration of the “inner mind.” Moving beyond formal concerns of color, form, and composition, his practice now engages deeply with reflections on life, time, history, and memory.
His works are held in the collections of numerous major institutions, including the British Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana, the China Printmaking Museum, the National Art Museum of China, the Wuhan Art Museum, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, and the China Academy of Art Museum.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025
Lumiere, Ferris Gallery, Shenzhen, China
2023
Brightness of Time, Ferris Gallery, Shenzhen, China
2018
From Matter to Light, China Printmaking Museum, Shenzhen, China
2017
Samostalna Izložba (Solo Exhibition), Museum of Fine Arts Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
2013
Omen · Trace, Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2011
Harumi Sonoyama: Works on Paper, Wuhan Art Museum, Wuhan, China
1990
Harumi Sonoyama, Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020
2nd International Triennial of Graphic Arts in Livno, Livno, Croatia
2019
Tradition in Transformation: Contemporary Asian Printmaking,
Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Art Museum, Chongqing, China
2018
The 14th International Printmaking Exhibition by Art Academies,Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
2012
Beijing International Art Biennale,National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
2011
Guanlan International Print Biennale, China Printmaking Museum, Shenzhen, China2025
Great Green Hope for the Urban Blues: Art and Myths of the Hudson Valley, Francis Lehman Loeb Art Center, USA
1999
International Drawing Biennale,Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
1993
Maastricht Print Biennale, Maastricht, Netherlands
1986
Modern Japanese Printmaking, The British Museum, London, UK
1981
14th Ljubljana International Print Biennial, Ljubljana, Slovenia
1979
Rockford International Print Exhibition, Rockford, USA
1978
2nd Contemporary Japanese Print Prize Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan
1976
44th Japan Print Association Exhibition,Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Public Collections
the British Museum, London, UK
the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, USA
the Moderna galerija (Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana), Ljubljana, Slovenia
the National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
the China Printmaking Museum, Shenzhen, China
Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, Shenzhen, China
the Wuhan Art Museum, Wuhan, China
Changshu Art Museum, Changshu, China
the China Academy of Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, Wuhan, China
Jingdezhen Academy of Painting, Jingdezhen, China
Huaian Art Museum, Huaian, China
Banri Art Museum, Shantou, China
the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei
Tainan Art Museum, Tainan
University Art Museum, Taiwan University of Arts, Taipei
Chimei Museum, Tainan
the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
Okawa Museum of Art, Japan
Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts, Tokyo, Japan
Ome Municipal Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
Kanagawa Prefectural Government Collection, Japan
Yokohama Civic Art Gallery, Yokohama, Japan
Chigasaki City Museum of Art, Japan
Kurobe City Art Museum, Japan
Nerima Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan
Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum, Japan
Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, Japan
The Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama, Japan
The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki, Japan