February 6 – May 2, 2021
Keisai Eisen (1790–1848), Modern Figures on a Snowy Day, early to mid-1820s, from the series The Four Seasons, Publisher: Sanoya Kihei, color woodblock print with graduated colors (bokashi) and blind-printing (karazuri), John Chandler Bancroft Collection, 1901.146
The Kimono in Print: 300 Years of Japanese Design is the first show devoted to examining the kimono as a major source of inspiration and experimentation in Japanese print culture, from the Edo period (1603–1868) to the Meiji period (1868–1912). This dialogue between print and kimono design is illustrated by approximately 70 Japanese prints, as well as a selection of illustrated woodblock printed books and paintings, primarily drawn from the Museum’s 3,000 Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints from John Chandler Bancroft (1835–1901) gifted in 1901. Central to The Kimono in Print is a one-of-a-kind contemporary wedding kimono by Chiso, the important 465-year-old, Kyoto-based kimono house. The Worcester Wedding Kimono is the first ever kimono commissioned as an artwork for an art museum. Celebrating the 120th-anniversary of WAM’s transformative acquisition of the Bancroft collection, the contemporary wedding kimono reflects the Museum’s vision for Japanese art in the 21st century.
Print artists from 17th to 20th -century Japan documented ever-evolving trends in fashion, popularized certain styles of dress, and even designed kimonos. The works begin with early prints from the late 17th century, when a more complex and sophisticated attitude towards clothing first appeared, as seen in the lavish prints of the floating world’s celebrity kabuki actors and courtesans. Modern design books and prints from the early 20th century, inspired by or made for kimono, demonstrate how the boundaries between print and textile fashion and design became more fluid.
The commission of a kimono as an artwork, rather than for a specific client or occasion, gave Chiso and its designer significant creative space to give form to their outlook regarding the present and future art of the kimono. Inspired by the New England foliage and Worcester’s famed seven hills, Chiso’s Senior Designer Mr. Imai Atsuhiro incorporated the iconic maple leaf throughout the kimono design, as well as seven textile techniques, ranging from newly developed to endangered ones. Documentary photographs of the process, as well as a video demonstrating many of Chiso’s signature techniques, are included in the exhibition. The Worcester Wedding Kimono reveals in stunning detail Chiso’s continuing commitment and aspiration to Japanese beauty and steadfast dedication to innovation, design, and creativity—in the present and for the future. Learn more about Chiso and their centuries-old contributions to kimono design and artistry in the virtual exhibition Kimono Couture: The Beauty of Chiso.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog edited by guest curator Vivian Li, with contributions by Nagasaki Iwao, Ellis Tinios, Matsuba Ryōko, Fujita Kayoko, and Stephanie Su. Published by Hotei Publishing, in association with the Worcester Art Museum, the catalog is available for purchase for $49. To purchase, please call 508-793-4355.
This exhibition is generously supported by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. Early research for this project was made possible by the Japan Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Family Guide
Download The Kimono in Print Family Guide (PDF 1.06MB) for your visit to WAM. The guide features basic information on kimono and contains four design details to look for as you explore the exhibition’s woodblock prints. There is also a section that allows you to design your own kimono!
Related Programs
Master Series Third Thursday
Thursday, April 15, 6pm
Speaker: Monika Bincsik, PhD, Diane and Arthur Abbey Associate Curator for Japanese Decorative Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Art Talk: Kimono Fashion in Kyoto.
Master Series is sponsored by Abbvie.
Traditional Japanese Dance Performance
Thursday, April 22, 6-7pm
Live via Zoom and Facebook Live
Free
Michiko Kurata is a dancer and choreographer of traditional and contemporary Japanese dance. She will perform two traditional dances. One dance will be part of Mitsumen Komori, a Tokiwazu piece, which involves three traditional masks representing characters from Japanese folklore. She will explain the folklore behind the dances. Michiko will also perform a celebratory dance that could be done at a wedding in honor of the Chiso Worcester Wedding Kimono.
Press
The Japan Society UK
Exhibition - The Kimono in Print: 300 Years of Japanese Design
by Fiona Collins, April, 2021
WGBH/Open Studio with Jared Bowen
The Kimono in Print at WAM
March 19, 2021
The National Review
Kinky Kimonos Galore
By Brian T. Allen, March 6, 2021
The Bay State Banner
‘The Kimono in Print: 300 Years of Japanese Design’ at Worcester Art Museum
By Susan Saccoccia, March 4, 2021
The Wall Street Journal
‘The Kimono in Print: 300 Years of Japanese Design’ Review: Clothes as Canvas
By Lee Lawrence, February 27, 2021
ArtDaily.cc
The art of the kimono is explored in two new exhibitions at Worcester Art Museum
February, 2021
Selected Images
