Japan Journeys
Famous Woodblock Prints of Cultural Sights in Japan
From Mount Fuji to the temples of Kyoto, Japan Journeys offers a unique perspective on the country's most famous travel destinations. Art historian Andreas Marks has gathered together approximately two hundred Japanese woodblock prints depicting scenic spots and cultural icons that still delight visitors today. Many of the prints are by masters such as Utagawa Hiroshige, Kitagawa Utamaro, and Utagawa Kunisada, and currently hang in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide. Katsuhika Hokusai, the artform's most celebrated artist, is also well represented, with many prints from his "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road" series and "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" series, including his world-renowned "Great Wave" print.
In addition to prints showcasing Japan's natural beauty, Marks' carefully curated selection depicts roads and railways; favourite pastimes, such as blossom viewing and attending festivals; beloved entertainment, such as kabuki theatre; the fashions they wore, and the food they ate.
Dr. Andreas Marks is the Head of the Japanese and Korean Art Department and Director of the Clark Center at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. From 2008 to 2013 he was the Director and Chief Curator of the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in California. Before coming to the U.S., he was the Managing Director of an international exhibition and fair organizer based in Germany with branches in Calif., the U.K., Australia, and China. He has a master's degree in East Asian Art History from the University of Bonn, and a Ph.D. from Leiden University in the Netherlands.
At locations like the Berkeley Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, Honolulu Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, San Antonio Museum of Art, and San Diego Museum of Art, Dr. Marks has curated and co-curated 14 exhibitions on various aspects of Japanese art including paintings, prints, ceramics, weaponry, as well as works of bamboo.
Amongst others, he is the author of Japanese Woodblock Prints: Artists, Publishers and Masterworks, 1680-1900, Genji's World in Japanese Woodblock Prints, and Kunisada's Tokaido: Riddles in Japanese Woodblock Prints. His Publishers of Japanese Prints: A Compendium, is the first comprehensive reference work on print publishers from the 1650s to 1990s. In June 2014, he received the annual Award of the International Ukiyo-e Society in recognition of his research and publications. He is currently working on his new exhibition and catalog Seven Masters: 20th-century Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Wells Collection that will be shown at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in fall of 2015.
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