September 20, 2008 - January 4, 2009.

Great Gallery

Japanese artist Toshiro Sawanuki is renowned for his inspiring paintings of peaceful planets in an infinitely diverse universe. His images reflect the artist’s devotion to humanity, harmony and joy. Harmony of the Universe: The Art of Toshiro Sawanuki was an exhibition of 30 paintings on view in The Museum’s Great Gallery. The exhibit ran until January 4, 2009. This was Sawanuki’s first major exhibition in the United States.

Sawanuki’s quiet, tender personality and his strong desire for peace enable him to capture the silence, purity and depth of the universe’s vastness. The depth and perspective of his space works project an overwhelming power and dynamism.

His artworks were chosen by Japan Post for commemorative postal stamps celebrating the 50th anniversary of Japan’s accession to the United Nations in 2006. In 2005, one of his artworks was on official display at the Japanese Government Pavilion at the World Exposition, Aichi, Japan. In July 2008, Sawanuki’s “Peaceful Planet” was displayed at the G8 summit in Hokkaido, Japan. Earlier this year his “Central Energy” was presented to NASA. The painting was donated to the NASA Art Program and is now displayed at a gallery inside the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. He is now creating a companion piece of the painting for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) collection.

Sawanuki is an official artist of the United Nation’s Culture of Peace campaign. For more details and information about the art and artist, please visit http://www.space-harmony.jp.