SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Japanese comics and graphic novels, known as manga, have become a beloved global phenomenon. Yet until now, there has not been a major exhibition on the art of manga in North America. Featuring rarely displayed genga (original drawings) by 10 major artists, Art of Manga – the first large-scale manga art exhibition in North America – presents manga from the 1970s to today. The artists explore themes across genres, from friendship to sexuality to the human condition. Looking closely at each artist’s narrative worlds and creative processes, the exhibition also spotlights manga’s cultural impact on the world today and possibilities for the future. Individual sections are dedicated to the work of artists Araki Hirohiko, Oda Eiichiro, Tagame Gengoroh, Takahashi Rumiko, Taniguchi Jirō, Yamashita Kazumi, Yamazaki Mari, and Yoshinaga Fumi, and the exhibition begins with works by Akatsuka Fujio and Chiba Tetsuya. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco invites visitors to fully immerse themselves in the world of manga through genga, exclusive programming with acclaimed manga artists and editors, and exciting on-site activations.

Manga Takes Over the Museum

The museum comes alive with the spirit of manga. Beshi, a slightly naughty but much-loved manga frog character created by Akatsuka Fujio, is known to many from the popular Catch BESHI!! Nintendo Switch game. Beshi makes the de Young museum its new home as it accompanies visitors through their Art of Manga exhibition experience.

How Manga is Made: ONE PIECE ONLY, an accompanying display shown for the first time in the US, gives museum visitors a glimpse into the creative process behind the celebrated ONE PIECE manga series. The installation follows the creative journey of the manga from the hand of Oda Eiichiro to the printing presses. A series of “treasure boxes” and films reveal how a single sheet of paper is transformed into millions of printed volumes. Serialized in over 1,151 episodes and collected in 111 volumes (as of 17th of June 2025), ONE PIECE follows the thrilling adventures of protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, The Straw Hat Pirates.

Art of Manga

Featuring rarely exhibited, original drawings by legendary artists, Art of Manga spotlights manga, a genre of innovative Japanese comics and graphic novels. Through more than 600 drawings Art of Manga enables visitors to gain an understanding of the medium’s immersive power and the social impact of manga in the world today. Visitors will become fluent in reading manga after viewing the exhibition. Holding an extensive historical Japanese prints collection, the Fine Arts Museums is the first North American museum to have a large-scale exhibition presenting original drawings (genga) of manga, which traces its roots back to Japanese painting forms, 18th- and 19th-century woodblock prints, and Western comics and satire.

Manga by Akatsuka Fujio and Chiba Tetsuya kick off the exhibition and individual sections are dedicated to the work of artists Araki Hirohiko, Oda Eiichiro, Tagame Gengoroh, Takahashi Rumiko, Taniguchi Jirō, Yamashita Kazumi, Yamazaki Mari, and Yoshinaga Fumi. Art of Manga concludes with a presentation of publishing company Shueisha’s innovative Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage (SMAH) initiative featuring work by artist Tanaami Keiichi. Blurring the boundaries between manga and fine art, SMAH examines new ways to enjoy and acquire manga art, such as limited-edition print runs created from genga that are linked to the blockchain.

Manga

A type of image-driven narrative storytelling in Japan, manga as a term first appeared in the later 18th century and literally translates as “pictures run riot.” Modern manga appears to have originated in two phases. The first phase was in the 1890s through 1920s, when Western printing methods, satire and cartooning were combined with traditional Japanese narrative formats such as kamishibai (street theater) and woodblock prints as well as printed illustrated novels. The second phase was in the immediate post–World War II era, when Japan was under US occupation, with the introduction of American culture, television, and films, particularly Disney. Sazae-san (Ms Sazae) by Hasegawa Machiko starting in 1946 and Tezuka Osamu’s Shin Takarajima (New Treasure Island) in 1947 ushered in the age of modern manga in Japan.

Manga is incredibly popular with people of all ages in Japan and all over the world. It features an array of subjects, from sports to another world (isekai) stories; there is literally a manga for everyone. Manga can be enjoyed in magazines, books and digitally – in almost any language.

Without the collective efforts of the following colleagues, this manga exhibition would not be possible: Chiba Tetsuya Production, Fujio Production, Furari Co., Futabasha, KADOKAWA, Kodansha, Hakusensha, Shogakukan, Shinchosha, Shueisha, and Smile Company.