Poster HistoryRead 8 min
Japonisme: Three Centuries of Japanese Graphic Art
From Hokusai's Edo to Yayoi Kusama's dots, Japanese graphic art has influenced Europe in successive waves. The story of a circulation of images that never stopped.
Collection · Japanese Art
Japanese Posters
Three centuries of Japanese graphic art, gathered in a single category. Ukiyo-e first. Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) and his Great Wave off Kanagawa (1831), Hiroshige with his 53 stations of the Tokaido road, Utamaro for his portraits of women. These Japanese posters, descendants of the woodblock prints that captivated Van Gogh, Monet and Toulouse-Lautrec, launched the Japonisme movement in Paris in the 1860s.
Then contemporary Japanese pop. Yayoi Kusama (born 1929) and her obsessive motif. The painter left for New York at 28 with a suitcase of drawings, while her parents told her to come home and marry. Sixty years later, her dots are everywhere, from the Whitney to Louis Vuitton, from Tate Modern to the facades of Singapore.
Alongside Kusama, we have placed Japonisme-inspired designs and a few exhibition posters, either in the public domain or published with permission.
Discover also: Landscapes, Botanical and Animals. Collection favourites: Poster Cranes Red Sun Pine Japanese and Poster Mount Fuji Snow Lake Woodblock.
Poster Fuji Mountains Tokyo Gallery Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Fuji Mountains Blue and Orange Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Mountains of Mont Fuji Dotted Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Pop Mushroom Tokyo Exhibition Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Dotted Mushrooms Blue Net Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Mushrooms Night Blue Net Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Red Mushrooms Blue Net Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Magenta Dotted Mushrooms Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Multicolour Dotted Mushrooms Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Pink Mushroom on Peach Net Japanese Art Poster, Yayoi Kusama
Pink Polka-Dot Mushroom Japanese Art Poster, Yayoi Kusama
Orange Mushroom in the Garden Japanese Art Poster, Yayoi Kusama
Polka-Dot Crab on Blue Net Japanese Art Poster, Yayoi Kusama
Polka-Dot Fish on Green Background Japanese Art Poster, Yayoi Kusama
Leopard in the Colorful Jungle Japanese Art Poster, Yayoi Kusama
Poster Red Woman's Face Polka Dots Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Polka-Dot Eyes Yellow and Red Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Polka-Dot Eyes on Red Net Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Infinite Multicoloured Polka Dots Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Poster Yellow Polka-Dot Pumpkin Signed Japanese Art - Yayoi Kusama
Polka-dot Yellow Pumpkin, Japanese Art Poster, Exhibition Style, Yayoi Kusama
Polka-dot Orange Pumpkin, Japanese Art Poster, Low-angle View, Yayoi Kusama
Polka-dot Yellow Pumpkin, Japanese Art Poster, Low-angle View, Yayoi Kusama
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Read about this collection
Poster historyRead 7 min
Ukiyo-e: a guide to Japanese woodblock prints for enthusiasts
Hokusai, Hiroshige, Utamaro: three names, three aesthetics, three ways into the world of the Japanese woodblock print. A guide for choosing, understanding and hanging.
Practical guideRead 5 min
Living with dots: decorating in the spirit of Yayoi Kusama
Dots, infinity motifs, bold color: composing an assertive wall inspired by the world of Yayoi Kusama, and pairing it with a pared-back interior.