"National Treasure Iris Screens and Rimpa Paintings" Exhibition

Finished

A pair of gold-ground six-panel screens. A single expanse of iris plants, vividly and gloriously depicted in shades of malachite green and azurite blue. Designated a National Treasure by the Japanese government, the Irises screens by Ogata Kōrin are one of the masterpieces of Japanese painting. Kōrin used his sublime painting skills and an innovative composition in this stylized rendition of the scene at Yatsuhashi in Mikawa province, a site renowned for its irises as heralded in the 9th chapter of the classic Japanese story, The Tales of Ise. The hero of The Tales, Ariwara no Narihira, composed a poem about the Yatsuhashi irises and his homesickness as he traveled to the east, away from his home in the capital Kyoto. Kōrin's calculated positioning of each plump blossom, each stalk and arching leaf results in a truly inimitable composition. After an absence of four years from the galleries, including the reconstruction period, once again the Irises screens adorn the early summer galleries of the Nezu.

The galleries are completed by a full display of the Nezu's paintings by Rimpa school painters. Innovative, classically elegant, and boldly designed forms combine with supremely fine detail - we hope you will enjoy this splendid realm of Rimpa beauty.

Schedule

Apr 24 (Sat) 2010-May 23 (Sun) 2010

Opening Hours Information

Hours	10:00-17:00
Closed	Monday Open on a public holiday Monday but closed on the following day. Closed during the New Year holidays and in between exhibitions.
Notice	Closed on Mondays except May 3rd (Mon), 10:00-17:00 (entrance closes at 16:30) ＊Open until 19:00 (entrance closes at 18:30) from April 29th to May 5th

Fee

Adults ¥1200, Students ¥1000, Junior High School Students and under Free

Venue

The Nezu Museum
http://www.nezu-muse.or.jp/en/