Art Takeshi

There's always been a disconnect between Takeshi Kitano's domestic persona – comedian, variety show host, ad campaign whore – and his overseas reputation as the auteur director of über-violent yakuza flicks and Zatoichi. But until a couple of years ago, few people anywhere knew of 'Beat' Takeshi's artistic leanings. Recovering from the motorcycle accident that nearly cost him his life in 1994, he began to create vivid, naïf paintings of animals and flowers – a habit that he's continued to indulge in. Following a well-received Tokyo exhibition in 2012, he now shows off around 100 recent pieces at Ginza's Matsuya, displaying the 'Art Takeshi' persona in its full, curious extent.