October 8, 2026–June 27, 2027
Evergreen Museum & Library, North Wing Gallery
“One could study out every square inch with profit & pleasure. And yet to us these artists are unknown & the whole world of their work is closed to us in our ignorance!” —John Work Garrett, April 18, 1899, Kyoto, Japan
Colorful, fantastical, and charismatic, Japanese prints of the 19th century captured the imaginations of many Western tourists like Evergreen’s John Work Garrett, who would have encountered the print genre, ukiyo-e, during his 1899 visit to Japan. Ukiyo-e literally translated to “floating world pictures” and comprised art and prints that focused on the beauty and pleasure found in urban centers and, later, the natural world.
Avant-garde artists rebelling against Renaissance artistic traditions used ukiyo-e works by Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797-1858) and Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760-1849) as inspiration for their own creations, including artists whose work is displayed in Evergreen’s historic rooms such as painters Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917) and Édouard Vuillard (French, 1868-1940). This exhibition highlights the global artistic legacy of Japanese prints and reveals their continued influence in unexpected places within Evergreen’s collection.