Newly-Discovered Drawings by Hokusai Acquired by the British Museum
The museum in London now possesses the largest collection of works by the master engraver in the world outside of Japan.
© British Museum
In 1829, Katsushika Hokusai, the Japanese painter, illustrator, and engraver, created a series of 103 illustrations in black and white. They feature animals, landscapes, flowers, and mythological creatures, themes inspired by ancient China, India, and south-east Asia.
Initially created to be compiled in a book entitled The Great Picture Book of Everything, which was ultimately never released, these illustrations belonged to Henri Vever, an Art Nouveau jeweller and collector of 19th-century Japanese art. They were then acquired by a private collector in 1948, before being forgotten.
The largest Hokusai collection in the world
It was during an auction held in Paris in June 2019 that this series of illustrations resurfaced. Acquired by the British Museum, all of the drawings in the series were digitised to be made available online before being exhibited. The British Museum joins other institutions to share their collections online, like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The British Museum, with its collection of over one thousand paintings, drawings, and engravings by Katsushika Hokusai, is the museum with the largest collection of the artist’s works in the world, outside of Japan.
These black-and-white illustrations were created by the master engraver just before he embarked upon a series depicting traditional horror stories, Hyaku Monogatari, One Hundred Ghost Tales.
Katsushika Hokusai’s engravings belonging to the British Museum’s collection can be viewed on the museum’s website.
© British Museum
© British Museum
© British Museum
© British Museum
© British Museum
© British Museum
© British Museum
TRENDING
-
The Tattoos that Marked the Criminals of the Edo Period
Traditional tattoos were strong signifiers; murderers had head tattoos, while theft might result in an arm tattoo.
-
Recipe for Ichiraku Ramen from ‘Naruto’ by Danielle Baghernejad
Taken from the popular manga with the character of the same name who loves ramen, this dish is named after the hero's favourite restaurant.
-
A Childhood in the Land of Monsters
In his manga 'NonNonBâ', Shigeru Mizuki chronicles the early period of a life between fleeting happiness and a passion for the supernatural.
-
Modernology, Kon Wajiro's Science of Everyday Observation
Makeup, beard shape, organisation of cupboards and meeting places: all of these details decipher 1920s Tokyoites.
-
Paris, Tokyo: Robert Compagnon
With his co-chef and talented wife, Jessica Yang, Robert Compagnon opened one of the top new restaurants in Paris: Le Rigmarole.
3:31