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250 Years of Japanese Woodblock Prints

This landmark exhibition, on view at both the Museum and the University of San Diego, unveils prime examples of Japanese print treasures drawn from the Museum’s rarely seen collection. Spanning the history of Ukiyo-e and beyond from the 17th- to 20th- century, the exhibition is arranged thematically within a chronological framework, and includes important works by Japan’s most celebrated print artists, including Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige.

The prints depict images of destinations and celebrities that evoke moments of pleasure and respite from everyday toils. A unique collaboration between the Museum and the University of San Diego allows these masterworks to be on display in unprecedented scope at both institutions concurrently. With this exhibition the Museum celebrates San Diego’s prominent position in the history of U.S.-Japan relations through the display and interpretation of masterworks of Japanese printmaking. The project is supported by innovative public and educational programs for all ages.

View the online catalogue for the first rotation (November 6, 2010 – February 13, 2011) of Dreams & Diversions.

The exhibition is curated by Sonya Rhie Quintanilla, the Museum’s Curator of Asian Art,  with Howard A. Link, Senior Curator Emeritus of Asian Art and Keeper of the James A. Michener Collection at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, and Hiroko Johnson, Professor of Asian Art History at San Diego State University.

Dreams and Diversions: 250 Years of Japanese Woodblock Prints on view at The San Diego Museum of Art and the Robert and Karen Hoehn Family Print Galleries, University of San Diego, is generously supported by Gordon J. Brodfuehrer, Mary Ann and Arnold Ginnow, Maurice Kawashima, Junko Koike, The Japan Foundation, Union Bank, The San Diego Museum of Art’s Asian Arts Council, and the Georges and Germaine Fusenot Charity Foundation in honor of Trustee Patricia H. Stone, Trustee Viveca S. Berry, and Captain Troy E. Stone.
Additional funding comes from Captain George B. Powell, Jr., the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Program, and members of The San Diego Museum of Art. Institutional support for the Museum is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861). Sudden Shower in the Summer. Woodblock print, ca. 1849–51. 14 x 29 7/16 in. (35.56 x 74.77 cm). The San Diego Museum of Art; Gift of Alice Klauber, 1928.57.a.