Takahasi Shigemi

Takahashi Shigemi was born in Iwate Prefecture. He created at a Motodate Hospital (run by Medical Corporation Hogarakakai) in Iwate Prefecture. He developed a mental illness when he was 18 and was in and out of hospital several times before being hospitalized for good. In 1967, when he was 21, he joined the hospital’s painting club and began creating art works. On two facing pages of a large notepad, he would draw a picture using a pencil, an eraser, and a 4-color-ball-point pen. Though he created a stir with his numerous portrayals of men and women having sex, he actually drew a wide range of themes based on his memories and interest, including manga heroes, sport players, and self-portraits.