Friday 5 July, 2024 – Saturday 13 July, 2024
Wells Maltings, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
An exhibition by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures in partnership with the Hokusai-kan Museum, Obuse. Co-curated by Dr Ryoko Matsuba.
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is perhaps Japan’s most renowned artist, particularly famous for his work The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Working as an ukiyo-e artist, Hokusai produced an impressive catalogue of works during his lifetime, spanning woodblock prints and paintings and mastering many impressive techniques relating to his craft.
In his mid-80s, at the invitation of wealthy farmer and merchant Takai Kozan, Hokusai moved to Obuse where he created several of his masterpieces including Dragon and Phoenix for the ceiling of the Higashimachi festival float, Masculine Waves and Feminine Waves for the ceiling of the Kanmachi festival float, and Phoenix for the ceiling of the main hall at Gansho-in temple.
This exhibition brought to the UK for the first time high-resolution reproductions of Hokusai’s works housed at the Hokusai-kan Museum in Japan, accompanied by a series of talks and events. The displays explored the groundbreaking techniques employed by Hokusai in his later years that made him one of the world’s most recognised artists.
This exhibition formed part of the anniversary programme celebrating 25 years of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures.
A symposium related to the exhibition was also hosted at Wells Maltings on Saturday 13th July – further details can be found here.
This exhibition was generously supported by Yoshino Gypsum Art Foundation and Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. In cooperation with NTT ArtTechnology / Arstechne.
