Imprinting in Their Time: Japanese Printmakers, 1912–2022 presents a survey of Japanese prints throughout the 20th century up to present day. The exhibition examines how the role of a printmaker has transformed through international encounters, new sources of inspiration, and artistic motivation.
Drawn largely from the museum’s extensive collection of Japanese prints, the exhibition highlights a significant yet rarely seen part of its holdings, in addition to special loans from local private collections. Imprinting in Their Time: Japanese Printmakers, 1912–2022 features masterworks by Kawase Hasui, Yoshida Hiroshi, Munakata Shikō, Saitō Kiyoshi, and new work by Hamanishi Katsunori and Morimura Ray.
The exhibition offers three fresh experiences for visitors, with new rotations of works appearing in October 2023 and February 2024. Each rotation consists of approximately 90 works on paper and proceeds thematically, beginning with works from the shin-hanga (new prints) movement, moving through works from the sōsaku-hanga (creative prints) movement, and ending with contemporary prints from the 1980s to the present day.
Imprinting in Their Time: Japanese Printmakers, 1912–2022 is curated by Akemi May, associate curator of works on paper, with Emily Mirales, curatorial assistant.
