The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco has announced the launch of a new exhibition titled “Art of Manga” that highlights the innovations of Japanese comics and graphic novels through a special artwork presentation.
The Art of Manga exhibition will spotlight the medium of manga and its influence on global storytelling and social commentary. It will feature more than 700 drawings by several influential Japanese manga artists. It will begin with an introduction to manga, featuring works from early-generation manga artists Tetsuya Chiba (Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow) and Fujio Akatsuka (Osomatsu-kun). 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.
Afterwards, attendees can visit Individual sections dedicated to the work of artists Hirohiko Araki (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Gengoroh Tagame (My Brother’s Husband), Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2), Jiro Taniguchi (The Summit of the Gods), Kazumi Yamashita (The Life of Genius Professor Yanagizawa), Mari Yamazaki (Thermae Romae), and Fumi Yoshinaga (Ooku: the Inner Chambers).
Akatsuka Fujio (赤塚不二夫) (1935 – 2008) , Edo As It Was!!: Osomatsu-kun, Iyami as Mito Kōmon (おそ松くん イヤミ の水戸黄門：そのころの江戸はこうだった！！), 1965, hand drawing (原画), pen on paper, (29.7×20.4cm) & (29.7×20.5cm) ©Fujio Akatsuka 
Araki Hirohiko (荒木飛呂彦) (born 1960), Shueisha Inc. (Publisher), JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure PART 6 Stone Ocean (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 第６部 ストーンオーシャン), 2003, hand drawing (原画), color on paper, (83.6×59.3cm) ©Hirohiko Araki & LUCKY LAND COMMUNICATIONS/Shueisha 
Chiba Tetsuya (ちばてつや) (born 1939), Takamori Asao (高森朝雄) (1936 – 1987) (Author), Kodansha Ltd. (Publisher), Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow (あしたのジョー), 1967-1973, hand drawing (原画), pen on paper, 14.96 x 10.91 in (38 x 27.7 cm) © Asao Takamori, Tetsuya Chiba / Kodansha Ltd. 
Oda Eiichiro (尾田栄一郎) (born 1975), Shueisha Inc. (Publisher), ONE PIECE, 1997-, hand drawing (原画), pen on paper, 14.33 x 10.12 in (36.4 x 25.7 cm) & 14.33 x 10.12 in (36.4 x 25.7 cm) ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha 
Tagame Gengoroh (田亀源五郎) (born 1964), Futabasha Publishers Ltd. (Publisher), Our Colors (僕らの色彩), 2018-2020, digitally created drawing, 14.33 x 10.12 in (36.4 x 25.7 cm) ©Gengoroh Tagame/Futabasha Publishers Ltd. 
Takahashi Rumiko (高橋留美子) (born 1957), SHOGAKUKAN Inc. (Publisher), MAO (MAO マオ), 2019-, hand drawing (原画), pen on paper, 14.33 x 10.12 in (36.4 x 25.7 cm) © RUMIKO TAKAHASHI／SHOGAKUKAN INC. 
Tanaami Keiichi (田名網敬一) (1936 – 2024), TANAAMI!! AKATSUKA!! / Revolver 2 (Looking in the Mirror) (TANAAMI!! AKATSUKA!! / Revolver 2「鏡を見ている」), print, print on paper (gravure), 42.6 x 29.69 in (108.2 x 75.4 cm) ©Keiichi Tanaami Courtesy of NANZUKA ©Fujio Productions Ltd./Shueisha Inc. 
Taniguchi Jiro (谷口ジロー) ( 1947 – 2017), Qusumi Masayuki (久住昌之) (born 1958) (Author), FUSOSHA Publishing Inc. (Publisher), Solitary Gourmet (孤独のグルメ), 1994-1996, 2008-2015, hand drawing (原画), pen on paper, 14.33 x 10.12 in (36.4 x 25.7 cm) © PAPIER/ Jiro Taniguchi/ Masayuki Qusumi, FUSOSHA 
Yamashita Kazumi (山下和美) (born 1959), Kodansha Ltd. (Publisher), LAND (ランド), 2014-2020, hand drawing (原画), pen on paper, 14.33 x 10.12 in (36.4 x 25.7 cm) ©Kazumi Yamashita / Kodansha Ltd. 
Yamazaki Mari (ヤマザキマリ) (born 1967), Tori Miki (とり・みき) (born 1958), Shinchosha Co., Ltd. (Publisher), Plinivs (プリニウス), 2013-2023, digitally created drawing, 14.33 x 20.28 in (36.4 x 51.5 cm) ©︎ Mari Yamazaki, Tori Miki /Shinchosha 
Yoshinaga Fumi (よしながふみ) (born 1971), Hakusensha (Publisher), Ōoku, The Inner Chambers (大奥), 2004-2021, hand drawing (原画), pen on paper, 14.33 x 10.12 in (36.4 x 25.7 cm) ©Fumi Yoshinaga/HAKUSENSHA, Inc.
Through the presentation of these artists’ works, visitors will explore a variety of artistic manga styles, genres, editorial and production processes, manga, and identity. It will also offer an in-depth look at Kodansha’s digital manga service K MANGA, as well as issues on rights, piracy, and fandom.
Art of Manga concludes with a presentation of the publishing company Shueisha’s innovative Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage initiative. SMAH will examine new ways to enjoy and acquire manga art, such as limited-edition print runs created from genga (original drawings) that are linked to the blockchain in the form of NFTs. The section ends with a novel and colorful collaboration between Akatsuka and the late pop artist Keiichi Tanaami.
The exhibition will be on view at the de Young museum from September 27, 2025 to January 25, 2026. More information about the exhibition can be found on the museum’s official website.
Source: press release
