Prospectus of Establishment

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) has aspired to contribute to cultural and social development ever since its predecessor, Shueisha, was founded as a letterpress printing house in 1876  with company rules that stated the founders’ intentions to contribute to civilization through printing.   The DNP Foundation for Cultural Promotion was established as part of events to commemorate the 130th anniversary of DNP’s founding.

The development of printing technology related to DNP’s business activities is inextricably linked with the evolution of graphic design and graphic art, which can be regarded as products of such technology. To showcase the graphic design and graphic art with which DNP has had such a close and inseparable relationship, the company established three exhibition facilities: Ginza Graphic Gallery (ggg) in Tokyo’s Ginza district in 1986, the ddd gallery in Osaka in 1991 , and the Center for Contemporary Graphic Art (CCGA)  in Fukushima Prefecture in 1995. These facilities have been staging exhibitions for more than two decades. Through these exhibitions, the artistic and cultural value of graphic design and graphic art have now been recognized as an important asset shared by all of humanity.

Against this backdrop, the Foundation has enhanced and expanded its activities, which include compiling archives to communicate the artistic and cultural value of graphic design and graphic art to current and future generations, staging exhibitions to showcase outstanding works from Japan and abroad to the general public, conducting educational and awareness-raising programs through seminars, online resources, and publications, and providing forums for international exchange to promote mutual understanding and sharing of diverse values beyond the bounds of nationality and ethnicity. In addition, through research grants honoring and furthering outstanding artistic and cultural endeavors and joint research with organizations and individuals in Japan and abroad, the Foundation has contributed widely to society and the public interest, and perpetuated and improved support for artistic and cultural activities. In so doing, it contributes to cultural enhancement and development beyond national borders and ethnicities, and pledges to enrich the common good in numerous indeterminate ways.

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