Printmaker, photographer, and watercolorist Mikio Watanabe was born in Yokohoma, Japan, in 1954. Following graduation from the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Tokyo in 1977, he traveled to Paris to study intaglio printmaking at Stanley William Hayter's Atelier 17 through 1981.

Watanabehas participated in over 50 solo exhibitions around the world, and is a member of the International Academy Greci-Marino, Italy. He continues to live and work in Paris.

Selected group exhibitions:
1989: Salon de la Gravure Originale, Bayeux, France
1990: Multiple
1992: Miniprint International, Cadaques, Spain
2007: Kiyoshi Hasegawa prize, Taylor Foundation, Paris
2013: Marie et Leon Navier prize, Foundation Taylor, Paris
2014: 29th World Print Triennale, Chamalieres, France (2nd prize)
2015: 3rd Triennale de Gravure, Lisle-Sur-Tarn, France
2017: 4th International Mezzotint Festival, Ekaterinbourg, Russia
2018: Miniprint Kazanlak, Bulgaria (First Prize in Classical Printmaking)

Selected collections:
Bibliotheques National, Paris and Catalogne, France; Musees des Beaux-Arts, Caen, Bayeux, and Quimper, France; Bibliotheques-Mediatheques de Metz, de Evreaux, and de Saint Herbain, France; Bulgaria Culture Ministry, Bulgaria; Central Academy of Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; University of Washington, Seattle, University of California, Riverside, Stanford University, California, and New Orleans Museum of Art, USA.

For a complete list of his exhibitions, visit his website here.