Hiroshi Nagai, born in the Tokushima countryside in 1947, is known for his prolific output of pop style paintings that came to serve as a backdrop to the City Pop movement of the late 70s and 80s in Japan.
Growing up, Nagai watched his father create oil paintings and developed a passion for art himself. He moved to Tokyo in his youth hoping to enter an art school but was unable to gain admission anywhere. Needing money, he initially began work as a set decorator for a Tokyo artist. Eventually, as he made more of a name for himself, he was able to move into creating illustrations.
