Yuji Takeoka (b. 1946, Kyoto) is a Japanese sculptor whose work occupies a distinct position at the intersection of Japanese aesthetics and Western Minimalism. Based in Düsseldorf since the 1970s, Takeoka has developed a practice characterized by formal precision, material clarity, and a sustained reflection on the conditions of sculptural presentation.
Takeoka studied sculpture at the Kyoto City University of Arts before moving to Germany in 1973. He continued his education at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, graduating in 1979 after studying with Erwin Heerich and Klaus Rinke. This dual artistic formation—rooted in both Japanese and European traditions—has remained central to his work, informing an approach that combines reductive form with meticulous craftsmanship.
Since the 1980s, Takeoka has pursued a concentrated sculptural language that avoids expressive gesture in favor of carefully calibrated surfaces and structures. Working with materials such as bronze, brass, ceramic, glass, lacquer, and Corian, he allows the inherent properties of each medium to determine the final form. Pedestals, vitrines, and frames—elements traditionally considered secondary to sculpture—are recurring motifs in his oeuvre. Detached from their functional role, these structures become autonomous objects, drawing attention to the systems through which art is displayed, perceived, and valued.
Takeoka’s work has been understood as a sustained inquiry into reduction, seriality, and presence. While often associated with Minimalist strategies, his sculptures are equally informed by concepts of restraint, concentration, and balance rooted in Japanese cultural traditions.
He held his first solo exhibition with Konrad Fischer Galerie in 1986, marking the beginning of a long-standing relationship with the gallery. His first solo exhibition in Japan took place at Wako Works of Art, Tokyo, in 1992. In the same year, Takeoka participated in documenta IX.
Takeoka has been included in major institutional exhibitions, including presentations at the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (2021), Museum Morsbroich (2015), and simultaneous exhibitions in 2001 at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; the Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid; and the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul. His work is held in numerous public and private collections worldwide, including the National Museum of Art, Osaka; S.M.A.K., Ghent; Sprengel Museum, Hannover; Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf; Daimler Art Collection; Deutsche Bank Collection; and Museum DKM. From 1995 to 2013, Takeoka served as Professor at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen.
Takeoka lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany.