Dive into the furtastical world of the CAT ART Exhibition, featuring gathered masterpieces ‘created’ by famous cat painters such as Johannes Ferneko and Leonardo Nya Vinci.

The exhibition will feature more than 60 feline artworks, and will be on display at Ikebukuro’s Marui Department Store until 29 August 2021.

If you are an art fanatic, you’re most likely already well aware that these paintings are feline replicas of real life historical masterpieces; such as the girl with the pearl earring which was originally painted by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, but has been reimagined in a feline form and ‘created’ by the fictional painter ‘Johannes Ferneko’ for the CAT ART exhibition.

In reality, the exhibition itself is full of paintings created by Yokohama born artist, Shu Yamamoto. Each piece faithfully imitates a famous historical painting, but features cat characters in place of human subjects.
Yamamoto’s cat project began in 2007, when he was inspired by his children who had replicated the ‘self-portrait’ of Vincent Van Gogh. The drawing followed Van Gogh’s style but the face had been replaced with that of a cat, and ultimately sparked the idea for the CAT ART project in Yamamoto.
Since then, Yamamoto has recreated more than 500 famous artworks featuring cats, and his exhibition has been enjoyed by audiences all around the world, with shows put on in Taipei, Utah, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Miyagi and now Tokyo.

For those with good eyes, hidden on each floor from B1 up to 6F are several stamp rally QR codes, that when scanned reveal a part of a ‘CAT ART’ painting. Once all QR codes have been collected, the painting will unveil a special keyword that can be used to exchange with a ‘CAT ART original magnet’.

CAT ART Exhibition – The World of Shu Yamamoto

Venue: Ikebukuro Marui 7th Floor Event Space
Period: 22 July – 29 August 2021
Business hours: 11: 00 – 20: 00 (Last admission: 15 minutes prior to closing)
Facebook page: CAT ART by Shu Yamamoto
*The event will be held while taking measures to prevent infection with the new coronavirus. Please cooperate in wearing masks at the venue, measuring and disinfecting the temperature at the time of admission, and ensuring social distance.

Ticket Admission Pricing

Adults and Senior High School Students tickets: 500 yen (incl. tax)
Junior High School Students and younger: free admission

*Ticket purchasers will receive one postcard from the event at random
*Tickets can be purchased from the ru shop on the 3rd floor of Ikebukuro Marui