Published in conjunction with a 2002-2003 exhibition held at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. the museum's first major presentation of Japanese prints from the Edo period (1615-1868). The prints come from a collection of ukiyo-e prints acquired by Anne van Biema since the 1960s, which she selected for their verve and artistry out of the tens of thousands that were published during the 18th and 19th centuries (a fact that makes their research daunting). Five essays, including one by curator Yonemura (Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery), discuss various aspects of Kabuki and Kabuki actor prints, warriors and heroes, and court classics and popular prints (poetry and parody in ukiyo-e . The catalogue follows, presenting full-page reproductions and extensive commentary. Oversize: 9.5x12

Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints in the Anne Van Biema Collection

Arts & Photography

Yonemura, Ann

Mostow, Joshua S.

Gerstle, Andrew

de Sabato Swinton, Elizabeth

KEENE, Donald

History & Criticism

Univ of Washington Pr

Vivid portraits of Kabuki actors on and off stage, warriors, legendary heroes and heroines; depictions of courage, loyalty, romance, passion, ghosts, dreams, and the beauty of the natural world -- all are encompassed by the prints included in Masterful Illusions. The richly illustrated book includes essays by an international group of scholars that elucidate the historic, economic, and cultural environment of Edo period Japan.
Beginning in the early nineteenth century, European collections of Japanese prints were gathered and transported far from the vibrant urban centers of Edo period (1615-1868) Japan, and today foreign collectors continue to be fascinated by Japanese prints. The collection of Anne van Biema, one of few women to become a serious collector of Japanese prints, reveals her fascination with the vigorous imagery from the Kabuki theater in the urban metropolises of Edo (now Tokyo) and Osaka, in heroic feats from Japanese history and legend, magic, dreams, and the supernatural. A less numerous but important group of prints express the beauty of nature, landscape, and poetic themes. The collection is noteworthy for its inclusion of early Kabuki actor prints, substantial holdings of prints by the artists Toyokuni (1769-1825) and Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), and of Osaka actor prints. Among the works by Kuniyoshi is a complete set of his series of fantastic stories associated with the twelve animals of the annual cycle.

Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection

University of Washington Press

Following its opening to trade with America and Europe in 1859 (after more than two centuries of Japanese isolation), foreigners from the five treaty nations the US, Great Britain, France, Russia, and the Netherlands filled Yokahama, transforming the rural fishing village into a bustling international port. These extraordinary, colorful woodblock prints capture the excitement the harbor, the foreign peoples, and the technological wonders (from sewing machines to locomotives) that were introduced into Japan. Yonemura explores the prints in the context of the historical events that propelled Japan into the modern age. 9x13". Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Yokohama: Prints from Nineteenth-Century Japan

Smithsonian Institution

To the people of Japan more than 100 years ago, Yokohama prints provided the first views of the customs and achievements of the technologically advanced nations of the United States and Europe. The colorful prints enhance Japanese understanding of nations as yet unseen except by a few official travelers. Japanese woodblock prints, which have enjoyed appreciation throughout the world, when the first artistic medium to respond to the profound changes affecting Japanese to technology society and institutions during the years following the opening of Yokohama to international trade in 1959. This book includes many different kinds of prints, in vivid details, lively colors, and descriptions of the exhibition.

Yokohama: Prints From Nineteenth Century Japan

Smithsonian

Book is in great shape with little wear or tear.

Hokusai

Freer Gallery and Sackler Gallery

Few of the traditional Japanese arts are a readily appreciated as Japanese lacquer. The beauty of lacquer objects most of which were made for specific purposes, may be admitted for its own sake, even when the objects are encountered in a context remote from that for which they were originally intended. Lacquer is a living art in contemporary Japan, providing functional bowls, trays, and containers of familiar traditional shapes for daily use as well as exquisitely formed and decorated objects which are unique works of art.

Japanese Lacquer

Smithsonian Inst. Pr.

Throughout its history, Japan's rulers have revered, treasured, sponsored, and even created beautiful works of calligraphy and painting. From the Heian period (794-1185) to the 20th century, the emperors of Japan and their courts have been arbiters of taste, patrons and protectors as well as participants in the arts. This volume showcases 76 stunning paintings and works of calligraphy dating from the 9th through 20th centuries, many for the first time to a Western audience. Replete with color reproductions, Twelve Centuries of Japanese Art from the Imperial Collections offers scholars, collectors, connoisseurs, historians, and all those interested in Japanese art an unprecedented view of Japanese aesthetic sensibility. The volume celebrates the consistent influence of imperial taste on the development of Japanese art.

Twelve Centuries of Japanese Art from the Imperial Collections

Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press

This is a 251 page book bound in stiff wraps titled HOKUSAI.

Smithsonian Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Yonemura, Ann. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Yonemura, Ann

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Yonemura, Ann. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints in the Anne Van Biema Collection

Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection

Yokohama: Prints from Nineteenth-Century Japan

Yokohama: Prints From Nineteenth Century Japan

Hokusai

Japanese Lacquer

Twelve Centuries of Japanese Art from the Imperial Collections

Hokusai