Part I: "Heroic Warriors and Specters" June 1-June 26
Part II: "Playful Heart and Western Style" July 1-July 28
Kuniyoshi Utagawa (1797-1861) is a representative ukiyoe print artist of the later Edo era. At a time of great uncertainty as the Bakumatsu government faced crunch time he depicted the powerful warriors breaking up Japan's closed society, as well as creating humorous satiric pictures, and winning great praise from the masses. When we talk of ukiyoe we think of Utamaro, Sharaku, Hokusai, Hiroshige and their works overflowing in the zeitgeist of the Edo age. However, Kuniyoshi is also an artist who tears down our understanding of ukiyoe, and produced numerous daring masterpieces.
Although previously not held in such high acclaim by specialists of ukiyoe, in recent years Kuniyoshi's modern originality has been reassessed and he has enchanted contemporary young people. This new found popularity has spread overseas, with major appearances at London's Royal Academy of the Arts in 2009 and at New York's Japan Society Gallery in 2010.
This year marks 150 years since Kuniyoshi's death and this exhibition will introduce visitors to the multifaceted world of his works, divided into two parts dealing with warriors and specters, and satirical and western-style pictures respectively.
1 minute walk from exit 5 at Meijijingu-mae Station on the Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines, 3 minute walk from the Omotesando exit of Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote line.
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