Legendary Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai is coming to the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne for a once in a life time display of his career defining pieces.
Hokusai is a landmark joint venture collaboration between the NGV and the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum which will showcase more than 150 of the artist’s works including woodblock prints, never before seen in Australia rare paintings on silk and hand printed Manga, opening in July 2017.
Also on display will be Hokusai’s most beloved painting ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ (c. 1830), acquired by the NGV in 1909, which is rarely on display due to its fragility and light sensitivity. As part of Hokusai, this piece will be on display alongside the other pieces in the set entitled ‘Thirty-Six views of Mount Fuji’, which is the most famous example of Japanese art in the world.
NGV Director Tony Ellwood is understandably excited about the exhibition stating that “Katsushika Hokusai is considered one of Japan’s greatest and enduringly popular artists. His moving and dramatic compositions, including The great wave, show the coexistence between humanity and the awesome power of nature, a relationship that is as relevant today as it was in the nineteenth century,”
Hokusai will be on display at NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia from 21 July 2017 – 15 October 2017.
