Life of Taro Okamoto(岡本太郎) to turn into drama

The life of the late avant-garde artist Taro Okamoto (1911-1996) will be dramatized on television for the first time. Actor Suzuki Matsuo(松尾勝幸) (47) will play the part of Okamoto, with Takako Tokiwa(常盤貴子) (38) co-starring as his adopted daughter Toshiko.

NHK will broadcast the drama next year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Okamoto's birth. The show will be titled "TARO no Tou/ＴＡＲＯの塔," a reference to one of his most famous works, the Taiyou no Tou (Tower of the Sun/太陽の塔), used as the symbol of the 1970 World Exposition in Osaka.

During the '80s, Okamoto became known for popularizing phrases such as "Art is explosion!" and "Art is magic!" After passing away in 1996 at the age of 84, his hometown of Kawasaki built the memorial Taro Okamoto Museum of Art.

The "TARO no Tou" drama will consist of 4 episodes airing on Saturdays, starting on February 26, which would have been Okamoto's 100th birthday. The screenplay is written by Sumio Omori ("Fuurinkazan"). Shooting will begin soon, with plans to film in Paris for about a week.

Taro Okamoto(岡本太郎) - 芸術は爆発だァ～!

Source: tokyograph.com