Of the museum's collection of approximately 8,000 works of modern and contemporary art from Japan and abroad, approximately 1,400 are Ukiyo-e prints. The museum's Ukiyo-e prints have been introduced in many exhibitions both inside and outside the museum, and this year's exhibition will focus on the "publishers" of the prints.
　The publisher is a kind of producer who is responsible for planning, supervising, advertising, and selling Ukiyo-e prints. The publisher determines the subject matter of the Ukiyo-e prints based on or in anticipation of popular tastes and fashions, and selects the most suitable artists to depict them. Based on the drafts drawn by the artist, engravers, printers, and other craftsmen are involved in the production of Ukiyo-e, which is completed through a number of work processes. It was also an important role of the publisher to manage all aspects of the production process.
　This exhibition will feature masterpieces of Ukiyo-e prints produced by various publishers as they competed in the publishing industry during the Edo period. In addition, masterpieces of Western paintings by Renoir, Rouault, and others, as well as works painted around 1926 will be introduced, as 2025 is the 100th anniversary of the Showa Era (1926 - 1926).
　We will also collaborate with the Inochi Tabi Museum's "Bebo" interesting printing exhibition, which will be held at the same time. Please enjoy both.