Hokusai

Meet the artist whose majestic breaking wave sent ripples across the world. Hokusai (1760–1849) is not only one of the giants of Japanese art and a legend of the Edo period, but also significantly influenced Western modernism, whose prolific gamut of prints, illustrations, paintings, and beyond forms one of the most comprehensive oeuvres of ukiyo-e art and a benchmark of japonisme. His influence spread through Impressionism, Art Nouveau, and beyond, enrapturing the likes of Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, and Vincent van Gogh.

Hokusai was a restless man, constantly changing his residence and using more than 30 pseudonyms. In his art, he captured the diverse world of Japanese ukiyo-e, from landscapes and actors to erotic books, album prints, and special occasion prints. He was a master of the complete spectrum of this art form, illustrating verse anthologies and historical novels with precision.

Hokusai's print series "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji," created between 1830 and 1834, is the artist's best-known and most celebrated work. Featuring Mount Fuji in different seasons and perspectives, the series stands as a pinnacle of Japanese landscape prints. "Under the Wave off Kanagawa," also known as "The Great Wave," is one of the most iconic and widely recognized images in Japanese art history.

In this comprehensive overview of Hokusai's career, we are presented with a diverse selection of his most significant works. Through his precise and captivating use of color and line, we witness the development of his distinctive style, which freed Western art from its traditional one-point perspective and paved the way for modernism. Included are a range of subjects, from erotic books to historical novels, showcasing the breadth of Hokusai's talent.