The de Young museum in San Francisco will be hosting Art of Manga, the first exhibition in America dedicated to exploring manga as an art form. Featuring over 700 original drawings by renowned manga artists, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience manga’s creative power and cultural impact. According to the museum, many of the showcased works have never been displayed publicly before.
Art of Manga will run from September 27, 2025, to January 25, 2026. It seeks to deepen the understanding of manga as a unique visual medium that is popular worldwide. “Captivating millions around the world with dynamic graphic narratives, manga is one of the most significant visual mediums of our time,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “San Francisco has long been a gateway for Japanese cultural exchange in the United States, and we are delighted to honor this legacy by showcasing the artistry and power of contemporary Japanese narrative art in Art of Manga.”
Hirohiko ArakiHirohiko Araki
Hirohiko Araki, born Toshiyuki Araki, is a Japanese manga artist and the author of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. He made his debut in 1980 with his one-shot Poker Under Arms, and began his professional career with the short series Cool Shock B.T., Baoh the Visitor, and Gorgeous Irene. Araki's biggest series,...
, the creator of the JoJo’s Bizarre AdventureJoJo's Bizarre Adventure
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, commonly shortened to JoJo, is an ongoing shonen and seinen manga written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki since December 1986. The story spans nine parts, each following a different protagonist from the Joestar bloodline, with new settings and eras introduced in every installment. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was originally serialized... series, is one of the manga artists whose artwork will be showcased at de Young Museum. In particular, they will display art from Part 1: Phantom Blood up to Part 9: The JOJOLands, Rohan au Louvre, and There’s Always a Traitor. The latter was Araki’s series of 12 paintings displayed at Hirohiko Araki JoJo Exhibition: Ripples of Adventure in Japan in 2018.
Explore Manga’s History and Influence at de Young Museum
The exhibition begins with a historical overview of manga, focusing on early pioneers such as Tetsuya Chiba (Ashita no Joe) and Fujio Akatsuka (Osomatsu-kun). This section introduces visitors to manga’s roots, its reading conventions, and its unique artistic techniques.
© Tetsuya Chiba / Kodansha
© Fujio Akatsuka
There are individual sections dedicated to the works of Hirohiko ArakiHirohiko ArakiHirohiko Araki, born Toshiyuki Araki, is a Japanese manga artist and the author of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. He made his debut in 1980 with his one-shot Poker Under Arms, and began his professional career with the short series Cool Shock B.T., Baoh the Visitor, and Gorgeous Irene. Araki's biggest series,... (JoJo’s Bizarre AdventureJoJo's Bizarre AdventureJoJo's Bizarre Adventure, commonly shortened to JoJo, is an ongoing shonen and seinen manga written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki since December 1986. The story spans nine parts, each following a different protagonist from the Joestar bloodline, with new settings and eras introduced in every installment. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was originally serialized...), Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Rumiko Takahashi (Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, MAO), Gengoroh Tagame (Our Colors, Fish and Water), Jiro Taniguchi (Solitary Gourmet, The Summit of the Gods), Kazumi Yamashita (The Life of Genius Professor Yanagizawa, LAND), Mari Yamazaki (Thermae Romae, PLINIVS), and Fumi Yoshinaga (Ōoku: The Inner Chambers).
© Hirohiko Araki & Lucky Land Communications / Shueisha
© Eiichiro Oda / Shueisha
© Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan Inc.
© Gengoroh Tagame / Futabasha Publishers Ltd.
© Jiro Taniguchi / Fusosha Publishing Inc.
© Kazumi Yamashita / Kodansha Ltd.
© Mari Yamazaki / Shinchosha Co., Ltd.
© Fumi Yoshinaga / Hakusensha
The exhibition also delves into manga’s editorial and production processes, its role in exploring identity, and its evolution in the digital age. A dedicated section examines Kodansha’s digital manga service, K MANGA, and addresses topics such as rights, piracy, and fan culture. Art of Manga concludes with a presentation on the Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage (SMAH) initiative, which offers limited-edition prints of original drawings linked to blockchain technology in the form of NFTs. The section ends with TANAAMI!! AKATSUKA!! / Revolver 2 (Looking in the Mirror), which was a collaboration between Fujio Akatsuka and Keiichi Tanaami.
© Keiichi Tanaami, Fujio Productions Ltd. / Shueisha
The Importance of Manga
We are living in a time when the narrative shift from text to images is increasingly becoming a reality. By prioritizing images and line over text in its storytelling, manga cultivates an ease of visceral understanding that enables readership from around the world to enjoy the same stories. Readers become invested in characters and their stories, and manga publishers and artists take their letters and social media comments into account and adapt the ongoing story or create new manga, which often then becomes a forerunner to greater cultural shifts.
Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere, Organizing Curator, Research Director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, University of East Anglia
For more information on Art of Manga and related events, visit the de Young museum’s website.
About Hirohiko Araki
Hirohiko Araki is a manga artist from Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is his most successful series, highly regarded all over the world. Weekly Shonen Jump began serializing it in December 1986. It is currently on the ninth part of the series, The JOJOLands, published in Ultra Jump magazine since February 2023.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure‘s anime adaptation began in 2012 and completed up to the sixth part of the series as of December 2022. The series also has an older OVA adaptation, several video games, and many light novel spin-offs.
