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The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco announced on Jan 27, 2025, its plans to launch Art of MANGA, the largest comprehensive exhibition of manga art ever held in the Americas, at the de Young Museum.
The showcase, running Sep 27, 2025, to Jan 25, 2026 will display over 700 original drawings by iconic Japanese artists, including One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure author Hirohiko Araki, and Inuyasha artist Rumiko Takahashi.
Organized in collaboration with major publishers KADOKAWA, Kodansha, Shueisha, and others, the exhibition aims to position manga as a globally influential art form.
It marks the first U.S. museum effort to curate manga beyond pop culture conventions, spanning decades of artistic innovation.
“Captivating millions around the world with dynamic graphic narratives, manga is one of the most significant visual mediums of our time,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “San Francisco has long been a gateway for Japanese cultural exchange in the United States, and we are delighted to honor this legacy by showcasing the artistry and power of contemporary Japanese narrative art in Art of Manga.”
Key Sections and Artists
The exhibition will open with an introductory section featuring foundational works by late gag manga pioneer Fujio Akatsuka and Tomorrow’s Joe artist Tetsuya Chiba.
This section places manga in historical context, providing viewers with insights into what manga is, how it is read, and how it is created and consumed.
Additionally, the following artists will have dedicated sections displaying original sketches, storyboards, and printed volumes:
- Fumi Yoshinaga: Ōoku, What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Flower of Life, and Tamaki and Amane (Kodansha/Hakusensha/Shueisha).
- Hirohiko Araki: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series, Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe (Shueisha).
- Eiichiro Oda: One Piece (Shueisha).
- Rumiko Takahashi: Inuyasha, Ranma ½, MAO, RIN-NE, and Mermaid series (Shogakukan).
- Gengoroh Tagame: My Brother’s Husband, Our Colors, and Fish and Water (Futabasha).
- Jiro Taniguchi: The Solitary Gourmet, A Distant Neighborhood, Furari, and Earth’s Ice Age Chronicles (Kodansha/Shogakukan).
- Mari Yamazaki: Thermae Romae (KADOKAWA/Shueisha), Plinius (Shinchosha), Steve Jobs (Kodansha).
- Kazumi Yamashita: Land, The Strange Tale of a Boy, Suki Desu! series, Becoming the Owner of the Oldest Western-Style House in Setagaya (Shueisha/Kodansha).
Visitors to the exhibition will experience a comprehensive exploration of manga through the works of these artists. This includes artistic styles, genres, and the editorial and production processes.
The exhibit will also explore topics such as manga’s role in shaping identity, the impact of digital manga with a focus on Kodansha’s K MANGA service, as well as issues surrounding rights, piracy, and fandom.
A dedicated “Shueisha Manga Art Heritage” segment will highlight the experimental TANAAMI!! AKATSUKA!! series, a collaboration between Keiichi Tanaami and Akatsuka.
“We are living in a time when the narrative shift from text to images is increasingly becoming a reality. By prioritizing images and line over text in its storytelling, manga cultivates an ease of visceral understanding that enables readership from around the world to enjoy the same stories,” remarked organizing curator Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere, Research Director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, University of East Anglia. “Readers become invested in characters and their stories, and manga publishers and artists take their letters and social media comments into account and adapt the ongoing story or create new manga, which often then becomes a forerunner to greater cultural shifts.”
Exhibition Details
Title: Art of MANGA
Dates: Sep 27, 2025 – Jan 25, 2026
Venue: de Young Museum, San Francisco
Organizers: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Cooperation: KADOKAWA, Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan, Fujio Productions, and 10+ publishers/studios.
The de Young Museum is California’s largest public art institution.
Source: FAMSF Press room, Natalie
