Cooler but still well above normal this week

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 is currently showing an exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints that date back to the Edo period (1615-1868).

, or "images of the floating world," and they flourished at a time when a burgeoning middle class was taking an interest in the arts.

Kitagawa Utamaro, Love for a Farmer's Wife, 1795-96

The show is the culmination of ten years work by curator Matthew Welch, and showcases 160 of the finest prints in the museum's extensive collection.

Welch says the ukiyo-e artists were often the same people who painted signboards and banners for Kabuki theater performances. While it's hard to believe when looking at these prints, they were originally sold as popular street art - the modern day equivalent of posters.

The exhibition is divided into several themes, including Beautiful women, Kabuki, Pleasures and Pastimes, and Sightseeing and Travel. Like Pop artists of the 1960s and 1970s in Britain and the United States, ukiyo-e artists were interested in fashion and other trends. Thus the name of 

During a tour of the exhibition, Welch recounted how a visiting Japanese dignitary couldn't believe some of the prints were originals, because they were in such outstanding condition. So how did the MIA end up with such an extensive and high quality collection of Japanese prints?

While many collectors have donated prints to the museum over the years, Welch says the majority of the MIA's approximately 3000 prints come from two collectors: Richard P. Gale and Louis W. Hill, Jr., grandson of 

Hakone--View of the Lake, by Utagawa Hiroshige

From the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road, ca. 1833

The final gallery of the exhibition focuses on the lasting appeal and influence of these prints on contemporary artists, including filmmakers and sculptors. 

I'll write more about that aspect of the exhibition next week.

Edo-Pop runs through January 8 at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Welch says he hopes visitors are smitten by the sheer beauty and technical finesse of the prints, and amazed by their sophistication and richness.

Katsushika Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa, ca 1834

Arts and Culture

State of the Arts Blog

Marianne Combs

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The Minneapolis Institute of Arts presents an impressive collection of woodblock prints that continue to inspire contemporary artists.

Edo-Pop: the enduring appeal of Japanese prints

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