|From Meiji to Modern
Japanese Art Goes Global, 19th to 21st Centuries
Now On View
Major strengths of the Museum’s Japanese collections reflect the dynamic temporal arc of the past 150 years in colorful prints, fluid paintings, rich enamels, glittering gold and silver works, subtle ceramics and luxurious textiles. During the Meiji Restoration Period (1868-1912) the Japanese government re-oriented its economy from farming and fishing to one increasingly based on industrialization and international trade—mirroring national transformations created by Gilded Age Americans and Victorian Brits. The arts of Japan catapulted to the world stage through international expositions in Europe and the United States heralding the first truly global artistic age. This exhibition celebrates Japanese artistic preservation, re-invention and transformation from an elaborate Edo aesthetic to Victorian excess, through sleek Art Nouveau and structured Art Deco to modern minimalism and the complexities of contemporary art and craft.