Rieko Morita is a renowned artist with a distinguished reputation for her superior skills of artistically transcending boundaries in her depictions of Maiko (a symbol of Kyoto's traditional culture) and other objects such as seasonal flowers and exotic women.
Her unique artistic skills have earned her fame and recognition. In 1986, Morita was awarded the grand prize for 'Midday' at the first Kawabata Ryushi Grand Prix Exhibition. In 2006, she created and mounted 'The Splendor of Autumn’ on a hanging scroll for the Kyoto State Guest House. And in 2011, she was honored with the Kyoto Prefecture Award for Cultural Merit.
Brief Personal History:
- 1978 Graduated Kyoto City University of Arts (Japanese Painting)
- 1980 Completed graduate degree in Japanese Painting at Kyoto City University of Arts
- 1981 Exhibited at the 7th Spring Soga Exhibition. Received ‘Shunkiten’ Award
- 1982 Exhibited at the 3rd Tokyo Central Museum Japanese Painting Grand Prix Exhibition & received an honorable mention
- 1984 Personal Exhibition (Tokyo Central Museum also in '86)
- 1985 Exhibited at the 1st Tokyo Central Museum Nude Art Grand Prix Exhibition
- 1986 Exhibited at the 1st Kawabata Ryushi Grand Prix Exhibition & received the Grand Prize (Wakayama City Museum)
- 1987 Exhibited at the 9th Yamatane Museum Japanese Painting Grand Prix Exhibition (also in '89,'91,'93 and '95)
- 1988 Personal Exhibition (Sagamiya Art Shop, Ginza, Tokyo). Japanese Painting Nude Art Exhibition (The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama)
- 1990 The 1st Suga Tatehiko Grand Prix Exhibition (Kurayoshi Museum). Received Runner-up Prize, Citizens Award. Co-exhibition with Kawamura Etsuko (Umeda Daimaru in Osaka)
- 1991 Exhibition of Modern Japanese Screen Painting (Landesmuseum Volk und Wirtschaft)
- 1992 Received Incentive Award (Part of Kyoto Cultural Award). Inochi Sanka Japanese Painting Hyakunin Exhibition (Museum of Kyoto). Personal Exhibition (Takashimaya Department Store in Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokohama and Osaka)
- 1993 Nihon Shusaku Art Exhibition (Takashimaya Department Store in Tokyo and Osaka, also in '94 & '01). Royo-no-me Modern Painting Exhibition (also in '95, '97, '98, '00 and '01). Received Rinmei Reisan Award in '95
- 1994 Personal Exhibition (Seigado Natsume Art Shop, Tokyo, Takashimaya Department Store in Osaka). Joint exhibition with Fujii Tsutomu (Hokushin Gallery, Ginza, Tokyo, Daimaru in Kyoto and Kobe)
- 1995 Received Union Figurative Design Award
- 1996 Exhibited at the '96 New Generation of Japanese Painting Exhibition (Daimaru Department Store in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo, also in '99). Personal Exhibition "Seimei Rinka" (Narukawa Museum, Hakone)
- 1997 Takashimaya Art Exhibition. Joint exhibition with Kosugi Kojiro (Sagamiya Art Shop, Ginza, Tokyo)
- 1998 The 1st NEXT Exhibition (Takashimaya Department Store, Kyoto - participated every year to date). Personal Art Exhibition "24 Original Pictures of Front Page of Tanko, Ura-Senke Tea Ceremony Magazine" (Seigado Matsume Art Shop, Tokyo, Takashimaya Department Store in Kyoto and Osaka)
- 1999 Personal Exhibition "Inochi Kagayakutoki" (Mitsukoshi Department Store in Tokyo, Nagoya and Sapporo, Daimaru Department Store, Osaka)
- 2000 Received Kyoto City Art New Face Award. Joint exhibition with Kawamura Etsuko & Mio Kozo (Takashimaya Department Store in Osaka, Kyoto, Yokohama, Tokyo and Nagoya). Personal Exhibition "Shiki no Sasayaki" (Seiga Natsume Art Shop, Tokyo)
- 2002 Personal Exhibition "Kyo-maiko Hana-koyomi" (Matsuzakaya Department Store in Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka and Daimaru Department Store, Kyoto)
- 2003 ‘Morita Rieko Art Exhibition’ at the 10th Anniversary of Hikarigaoka Museum, Tokyo. Personal Exhibition "Seimei no Uta" (Kintetsu Department Store, Osaka). Eye Exhibition of the 21st Century – Sorezore-no-katachi (Takashimaya Department Store in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka - participated every year to date)
- 2004 Personal Exhibition "Miyabi-no-hana Saijiki" (Manyo Museum, Nara). Personal Exhibition "Hana Oriori-no-shou" (Narukawa Museum, Hakone). Personal Exhibition "Memoirs of Kobe Hana-no-Uta" (Sogo Department Store, Kobe)
- 2005 Personal Exhibition "Morita Rieko Shohin Ten" (Mitsukoshi Department Store, Tokyo). Joint exhibition with Yabuuchi Satoshi (Seibu Department Store, Tokyo and Sogo Department Store, Osaka)
- 2006 Works completed for the Guest House of Kyoto Imperial Palace
- 2007 Personal Exhibition "Kyo, Hana, Koyomi" (Gallery Shibunkaku, Kyoto). Works completed on the Fusuma-e (sliding door) design of Hojo (main hall) and ceiling painting of Kyakuden (guest room) at Rokuonji Temple famed for Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto
- 2008 Design of "Ema" (the year's pictorial offering) for Todaiji Temple, Nara
- 2009 Fusuma-e (Sliding door designs) of the guest room of Shokuhou-en, Kyoto. Personal Exhibition : TOHOSAIMU Rieko Morita -BEAUTES DIVINES- at MITSUKOSHI ETOILE in Paris, France
- 2010 A Rieko Morita Commemorative Exhibition –BEAUTES DIVINES- in Japan
- 2011 Received the Kyoto Bunka-Sho Koro-sho (Award for cultural merit from Kyoto City). Personal Exhibition "Morita Rieko Ten -Furusato Nihon no hana, Shiki no Utsuroi- " (Sogo Department Store in Kobe and Yokohama, Takanawa-kai in Osaka and Tokyo)
- 2012 Personal Exhibition : "Artworks of Morita Rieko in Oman" (Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts MUSCAT, Oman). Personal Exhibition : "Morita Rieko Ten" (ShiBunKaku, Kyoto)