Kazumasa Nagai
Kazumasa Nagai (Japanese: 永井 一正, Nagai Kazumasa; Ōsaka, April 20, 1929 – February 23, 2026) was a Japanese printmaker and graphic designer. He attended the Tokyo University of the Arts to study sculpture, and withdrew due to health problems. Nagai was a founding member of the Nippon Design Center (NDC, established in 1959), and was its president.
Kazumasa Nagai
Mr.ちゅらさん · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Born
- 1929 · Osaka.
- Died
- 2026
- Nationality
- Japan
- Occupation
- designer · graphic artist · typographer
- Education
- Tokyo University of the Arts
- Honours
- Medal with Purple Ribbon
- Languages
- Japanese
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Kazumasa Nagai (Japanese: 永井 一正, Nagai Kazumasa; Ōsaka, April 20, 1929 – February 23, 2026) was a Japanese printmaker and graphic designer. He attended the Tokyo University of the Arts to study sculpture, and withdrew due to health problems. Nagai was a founding member of the Nippon Design Center (NDC, established in 1959), and was its president.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
His first works were abstract, then he changed to handmade designs of animals and plants in the 1980s. Some of his works appeared on the cover of LIFE. His work is held in museums including the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the National Gallery of Australia, the Museum of New Zealand, the British Museum, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Walker Art Center, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, and the Museum of Modern Art. Nagai died on February 23, 2026, at the age of 96.
Kazumasa Nagai studied at Tokyo University of the Arts. The recorded working language is Japanese. Work by Kazumasa Nagai is recorded in the collections of Museum of Modern Art and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Distinctions recorded are Medal with Purple Ribbon.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1929
Kazumasa Nagai born at Osaka.
2026
Kazumasa Nagai died.
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
Kazumasa Nagai received Medal with Purple Ribbon.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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