Exhibition selection spring 2023 | Society of Japanese Art

Hiroshige et l’éventail, voyage dans le Japon du 19e siècle (Hiroshige and the fan, a trip to 19th century Japan), February 15 2023 - May 29 2023, Musee Guimet, Paris, France

The Guimet Museum presents a unique set of prints by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) intended to adorn fans. Made between the 1830s and 1850s, they are among the rarest and most elaborate of the work of the artist, one of the last great image makers in Japan of the Edo period. The fan prints reveal the graphic inventiveness and diversity of his work, from the famous sites of the city of Edo and the landscapes of Japanese provinces, to the subtle compositions of flowers and birds, passing through female portraits, historical, literary scenes or parodic images.

Transcendent Clay / Kondo: A Century of Japanese Ceramic Art, March 23, 2023 – September 24, 2023, Lowe Art Museum, Miami, USA

This exhibition features works by three generations of the Kyoto-based Kondo ceramic dynasty. Ranging from traditional porcelain vessels to meditative sculptures cast from the artist’s body and accented with a “silver mist” glaze, this compelling exhibition serves as a bridge between the past and the present as well as meditation on the future of Japanese ceramics.

KAINOSHO Tadaoto: Crossing Boundaries in Nihonga, Theater and Film, February 2 2023 - July 4 2023, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan

As a Nihonga (Japanese-style) painter, Kainosho Tadaoto (1894-1978) was active in Kyoto during the Taisho (1912-1926) and early Showa Period (1926-1989). The works he showed as a member of the Kokuga Sosaku Kyokai (National Painting Creation Association) were acclaimed for their depiction of human life, which embraced both the beautiful and the ugly. Due in part to Kainosho’s subsequent shift to the film industry, where he worked as a researcher of traditional manners and customs, among other things, he was long neglected by the art world. Although an exhibition devoted to his paintings that was held at this museum in 1997 prompted a reevaluation of Kainosho’s career, it did not sufficiently address his film work. In light of the fact that some period clothing Kainosho designed for movies was recently unearthed at a film studio in Uzumasa, this exhibition strives to present a full picture of the artist’s career, including his work for the screen.

The Art of Literacy in Early Modern Japan, March 25, 2023 - August 6, 2023, Cargill Gallery Minneapolis, USA

Reading and writing were popular pastimes in early modern Japan. From the 1600s to the 1800s, the printing industry developed rapidly, making printed materials available to readers in urban and rural areas alike. Woodblock printing meant that books and prints could be mass produced, sold cheaply, and distributed widely. Readership grew steadily as temple schools taught basic reading and writing to people from the merchant and lower classes. This exhibition considers two forms of literacy, textual and visual, that enabled people to participate in a burgeoning public life.

Rinpa Screens, February 25, 2023–January 28, 2024, Freer Gallery of Art, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian, Washington, USA

Whether displayed in private households or in temples, screens were an integral part of traditional Japanese interiors. Artists could experiment with painting techniques and motifs on these large, decorative surfaces. The three-dimensional, folded format allowed them to play with perception and to cleverly trick the viewer’s eye so that scenes of undulating dragons, stormy seas, and elegant foliage came to life and animated a room. Explore a selection of screens painted in the Rinpa style, a movement known for stylized forms in bright colors that spanned the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. A complementary display of ceramics demonstrates the aesthetic exchange facilitated by trade between Japan and China and interrogates what makes a work of art Japanese.
Please note: This exhibition will be temporarily closed to the public from August 7–11, 2023.

Ink and Brush: The Beauty and Spirit of Japanese Calligraphy, Through April 30, Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, USA

Explore the rich history of Japanese calligraphy, from traditional forms to contemporary interpretations. This installation features works in our collection from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, showcasing the many varieties of calligraphy as an art form. In East Asian cultures, calligraphy, painting, and poetry are often referred to as the “three perfections,” which we can find embodied in the works on display. Through the traces of the ink, the calligraphers not only brushed their writing, but expressed their emotions and ideas.

Japanese Contemporary Design, 6 May 2022 - 30 Jul 2023, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

A more diverse range of makers have emerged in Japan in recent years, with highly skilled women breaking into historically male-dominated artistic disciplines. This follows a move away from the traditional apprenticeship-based system and the long-established custom of the eldest son taking over from his father. Japanese Contemporary Design will include an equal number of works by female and male makers, shining a light on some remarkable artisans who have previously been overlooked.
A more diverse range of makers have emerged in Japan in recent years, with highly skilled women breaking into historically male-dominated artistic disciplines. This follows a move away from the traditional apprenticeship-based system and the long-established custom of the eldest son taking over from his father. Japanese Contemporary Design will include an equal number of works by female and male makers, shining a light on some remarkable artisans who have previously been overlooked.

LOTUS MOON AND NANDINA STAFF: THE ART OF ŌTAGAKI RENGETSU AND NAKAHARA NANTENBŌ, March 31, 2023 - June 11, 2023, ACKLAND ART MUSEUM, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

Lotus Moon and Nandina Staff presents and contrasts the work of two major Japanese artists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, taking its title from translations of their names. Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875) was a Buddhist nun who became very well known as an important poet focusing on the traditional waka verse form, rendering her poems in elegant but strong calligraphy on paper and on ceramics that she often formed herself; Nakahara Nantenbō (1839-1925) was an influential and strict Zen Master famous for his energetically and expressively brushed calligraphy and paintings. Both sometimes paired calligraphy with images. The presentation of works by these two very prolific artists will not only introduce them to a broader audience but will also offer an introduction to the variety of style and effect possible within calligraphy, that central feature of Japanese artistic culture.
The exhibition includes around 50 works, the majority selected from a major recent gift from Ray Kass ’67 (’69 MFA) and Jerrie Pike, supplemented by works already in the Ackland and significant loans from an important private collection. The initial concept and early support for the exhibition came from the late Stephen Addiss, professor at the University of Richmond and a leading scholar of Japanese art, whose untimely death in April 2022 prevented him from developing the project or seeing it through to completion.

The Beauty of Urushi - lacquerware of Japan and the Korean Peninsula, April 13th (Thu) to June 18th (Sun), 2023, The Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Tokyo, Japan

This exhibition features various lacquerware of Japan and the Korean Peninsula from the Museum collection. One of the characteristics of our Japanese lacquerware collection is lacquer painting, which Soetsu Yanagi (1889-1961) especially preferred. In Korean lacquerware, boxes with mother-of-pearl decoration are highly notable. In addition to the splendid works of the two countries, works by Tatsuaki Kuroda (1904-1982) and Taro Maruyama (1909-1985) are also on display, and you can enjoy the quintessence of our lacquerware collection.