Hiroshi Nagai’s Sun-Drenched Pop Paintings, an Ode to California
Through his colourful pieces, the painter transports viewers to the west coast of America as it was in the 1950s.

Hiroshi Nagai for the ‘Pacific Breeze Compilation’
Flat tints of vibrant colours and sophisticated American decor. From beaches and palm trees to swimming pools and villas, minimalist architecture and summer scenes are a recurring theme in the work of Hiroshi Nagai, one of the most atypical and indeed talented Japanese artists of his generation.
Born in 1947 in Tokushima, on the island of Shikoku in the south-west of Japan, the artist discovered painting through his father. When he went to Tokyo for university, he was rejected by the art schools. He decided to launch himself as a set decorator alongside his work as an artist. Hiroshi Nagai quickly specialised in illustrations for record sleeves of popular Japanese music. His style recalls the work of English painter David Hockney, known for his pop style, Californian influences, and vegetable- and mineral-based scenographies. The similarities are particularly clear in the series Poolside, an exploration of swimming pools in 1950s west-coast America.
Pop art for heritage
The painter is part of the City Pop art movement from the late 1970s. It’s inspired by the aesthetic of the Soft Pop current in music, also known as Sunshine Pop, which originated from Southern California and that can mainly be heard in advertising jingles. Very popular in Japan, soft pop transports listeners to a sunny beach.
Hiroshi Nagai is sometimes influenced by Magritte and Dali, but pop art remains his main source of inspiration. As he explains to cultrface: ‘Without American pop art I would not have started painting the way I did. This experience made me paint my summer skies as deep blues from that point on. That said, surrealism was also a big influence, and of course hyper-realism.’
Hiroshi Nagai only gained recognition at the start of the 1980s. Since then, his dazzling, colourful works have bewitched the art world and seduced lovers of pop art.
Hiroshi Nagai’s work can be found on his website.

Hiroshi Nagai for Eiichi Ohtaki

Hiroshi Nagai for Pictured Resort

Hiroshi Nagai for Max Romeo

Hiroshi Nagai for AAA

Hiroshi Nagai for Niagara Fall Of Sound Orchestral
TRENDING
-
‘The Sound of Water’, or How to Escape the Trap of One's Life
In this short film, director J.B. Braud depicts the process that leads a woman, Chisato, to make the decision to disappear.
-
Breath Control with Tomohide Ikeya
The series 'Breath' by the Japanese photographer invites the audience to reflect on the notion of control through an underwater ballet.
-
Nokogiri, the Hill with One Thousand Buddhas in Chiba Peninsula
Located east of Tokyo, this sacred mountain houses over 1500 statues of Buddha, connected to the Nihon-ji temple.
-
Léo Berne, Photographs and Love in Tokyo
By modestly depicting his partner during frequent trips to Japan, the photographer transcends the fineness of the ordinary.
-
The Tradition of the Black Eggs of Mount Hakone
In the volcanic valley of Owakudani, curious looking black eggs with beneficial properties are cooked in the sulphurous waters.