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Detail, Beneath the Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa
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Detail, Thunder God
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Detail, Boy Viewing Mount Fuji
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Through May 14, 2006
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
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EXTENDED HOURS: On May 10, 11, and 12 the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery will remain open until 9 pm. The Freer Gallery of Art will close at 5:30 pm.
An unprecedented exhibition of works by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), whose iconic woodblock print "The Great Wave" is one of the most recognized images in the art world, is on view at the Sackler Gallery March 4 through May 14, 2006.
The exhibition of more than 180 paintings, prints, drawings and printed books brings together for the first time 41 paintings from the Freer Gallery of Art, the largest and most important collection of paintings by Hokusai, with masterpieces from museum, library and private collections throughout the world. Charles Lang Freer (1854–1919), founder of the Freer Gallery, collected most of the Gallery's Hokusai paintings, drawings, and prints between 1898 and 1907. "Hokusai" celebrates the 100th anniversary of the official gift by Freer of his art collection and museum to the United States.
Hokusai was the first Japanese artist to become widely known in the West. Born in 1760 in the thriving Japanese city of Edo, he produced brilliantly original images in the popular media of woodblock prints and books. His creations have profoundly influenced European and American painting, design and popular culture. The exhibition represents Hokusai's entire career, from the early years as a young artist in his 30s to his last year of life as an active artist at the age of 90.
"Thunder God," a masterpiece painted in the twilight of Hokusai's life, embodies the artist's lifelong interest in expressions of dynamic movement, energy and inventive compositions. Another painting in the exhibition, "Boy Viewing Mount Fuji," is a serene and atmospheric landscape that recalls the many renderings of the mountain made famous in Hokusai's print series "Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji."
The exhibition includes three pairs of six-panel folding screens, the only known examples of Hokusai's paintings in this large format, and several other smaller screens which express Hokusai's intense and observant interest in nature. Also included in the exhibition is an approximately 47-foot-long hand scroll, again depicting various scenes from nature, which is the only one in existence anywhere in the world.
The exhibition is organized in two major sections: The first introduces the audience to Hokusai's life as an artist and follows him from his youth to his last years, and the second examines his paintings. The paintings are organized around the themes of humanity, literature and legend, the natural world, the supernatural world, and Hokusai's last years. The exhibition reflects recent scholarly re-evaluations of the artist's paintings, which include a number of recognized masterpieces.
"Hokusai" is co-organized by the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, in cooperation with the Tokyo National Museum.
The exhibition is generously supported by Fidelity Investments through the Fidelity Foundation, the Anne van Biema Endowment Fund, All Nippon Airways, Asahi Glass Co. Ltd., Astellas Pharma Inc., Canon U.S.A., Inc., Mitsubishi Corporation, NEC America, Inc., Panasonic Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Robert and Betsy Feinberg with additional support from the Blakemore Foundation and the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation.
Hokusai Rotation Statement: April 13, 2006
During this exhibition, some objects will be exchanged for others due to their light sensitivity and lender requirements. If you have visited the exhibition between March 3 and April 9, please plan another visit after April 14 to see thirty new works and different pages in many of the printed books.
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Online Exhibitions
Hokusai interactive
More Japanese Art
• Artists of Edo 1800–1850
• Japanese Screens
• Freer and Tea: 100 Years of The Book of Tea
• Contemporary Japanese Porcelain
Japanese Art in Our Collections
Hokusai Events
Demonstrations, talks, tours, and other events related to this exhibition
Symposium:
Hokusai: Breaking Boundaries, Making Waves
Reviews
The Insatiable 'Hokusai' by Eve Zibart, Washington Post Weekend
Hokusai in Washington: A Retrospective of the Restless Japanese Master, by Roberta Smith, The New York Times
The Japanese Master Who Changed How We See Our World, by Michael Judge, The Wall Street Journal
Feast From The East: The Visual Riches of Hokusai Transcend Time and Space, by Blake Gopnik, Washington Post
Yokohama Boomtown
Yokohama Boomtown: Foreigners in Treaty-Port Japan (1859–1872), part of the MIT Visualizing Cultures project
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Hokusai Shop
Order books, posters, and other merchandise related to this exhibition
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