Kazuo Matsuno was born in 1895 in Sakai-cho, Kokura, Fukuoka Prefecture (present-day Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu City). After moving to Tokyo, he studied painting under Minoru Yasuda, and in 1921 was accepted for the first time to the 3rd Teiten (Imperial Exhibition), but the previous year he was recognized by Morishita Ameson, the chief editor of Shinseinen magazine, and began drawing illustrations for the magazine.
　In "Shin Seinen," while also illustrating many serialized novels by Edogawa Rampo, Oguri Mushitaro, Yokomizo Seishi, and others, he continued to draw cover art almost single-handedly for about 27 years, from the May 1921 issue to the March 1948 issue. He was well known for his depiction of Western people and customs in translated novels, and he himself prided himself on his ability to depict people's faces according to their nationality. Matsuno attracted many people with his illustrations for fashion pages of girls' magazines, girls' novels, covers of children's magazines, novels, and all other fields. Other works included bookbinding and picture book publishing. In his later years, for his personal enjoyment, he left behind many nostalgic works in sumi ink and light colors.
　Kazuo Matsuno is known as the illustrator of "Shin Seinen. This exhibition will present a wide range of his works, including sketches and oil paintings from his stay in Paris and ink and wash paintings from his later years, which have not been shown in the public domain.