Masanari Murai was a well-known pioneer of modernist painting in Japan. He was born in Ogaki City in Gifu. He studied art in both Japan and in Paris. On March 29, 2005, in the 100th anniversary year of his birth, the Masanari Murai Memorial Museum of Art was opened in Tokyo. His work can also be found in the Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.