Japan has a vibrant printmaking culture. For much of its history, woodblock printing was the most practiced technique for the reproduction of both text and images. In the twentieth century, artists began experimenting with other methods, such as lithography, mezzotint, aquatint, and silkscreen, responding creatively to new technologies, personal circumstances, and social challenges to develop their own individualized styles.
This interactive presents a selection of twentieth- and twenty-first-century prints by Japanese artists working in a variety of techniques. Choose one of the themes listed below to explore objects in-depth. Click on the hotspots to reveal information about the motifs, materials, and methods used by each artist. Additional resources include artist biographies, a glossary, and bibliographies of key texts. This interactive will be updated regularly, so please check back often.
THE KENNETH AND KIYO HITCH COLLECTION
In 2019, the National Museum of Asian Art acquired the Kenneth and Kiyo Hitch Collection, which includes over two thousand works on paper by Japanese artists and by non-Japanese artists living and working in Japan. With the exception of some draft drawings and paintings, the overwhelming majority of this collection comprises prints from the twentieth century, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive of its type in the United States. Supplemented by other gifts, notably from Margot P. Ernst and Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz, NMAA’s collections of modern and contemporary Japanese prints make the museum a premier location for the study of these works.
