Pacific Asia Museum announces spring & summer shows

Pacific Asia Museum is pleased to announce its exhibitions for the spring and summer of 2012. The exhibitions Kimono in the 20th Century, Gajin Fujita: Ukiyo-e in Contemporary Painting and Masterpieces of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi all explore the roots of modernism in Japan. From printmaker Tsukioka Yoshitoshi's innovative prints of the 19th century, to the dramatic kimono of the mid-20th century, to Gajin Fujita's unique blend of traditional and street art, these exhibitions bring together a variety of objects reflecting new ideas in a changing world.


Kimono in the 20th Century

March 30, 2012 through March 10, 2013
Frank and Toshie Mosher Gallery of Japanese Art

The 20th century in Japan was a time of economic prosperity and cultural expansion. Elements of Art Nouveau and Art Deco brought new dimensions to traditional Japanese art and design, including fashion. Pieces in Kimono in the 20th Century examine these changing styles and fabrics, demonstrating a strong sense of the wearer's taste, the modes of contemporary fashion, or requirements of the season in which the kimono was worn. Kimono in the exhibition include formal styles, children's clothing, undergarments and light summer wear as well as a gift in 2008 from the June Tsukamoto-Lyon collection, which provided breadth and further quality to Pacific Asia Museum's already substantial collection. Guest-curated by Hollis Goodall, Curator of Japanese Art at LACMA.


Gajin Fujita: Ukiyo-e in Contemporary Painting
April 20 through October 7, 2012
Focus Gallery

Gajin Fujita (born 1972) is a Japanese American artist whose work combines elements of traditional Japanese ukiyo-e art with contemporary American street art and Pop art, among other influences. A native of Los Angeles, Fujita has been steadily gaining international recognition since his first solo gallery exhibition a decade ago. The exhibition at Pacific Asia Museum will be his first solo museum exhibition on the west coast, and is timed to coincide with Masterpieces of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi as Fujita's work shares many interesting parallels with the work of the earlier master concerning compositional approaches, the struggle of man in nature, attention to finished surfaces of the work, and a featuring of Japanese folklore and tales of valor and the supernatural.


Masterpieces of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
May 18 through August 12, 2012
Changing Exhibition Galleries
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892) is perhaps the most important Japanese print artist of the late 19th century. Yoshitoshi lived at a time when Japan was just opening to the outside world and experiencing major political, social and economic changes. His prints often depict well-known stories from Japanese history and legend but present them in highly original, sometimes shocking compositions that exhibit a range of influences. This exhibition features approximately 130 of Yoshitoshi's prints and drawings, representing the full span of his artistic career. The prints come from a private Las Vegas collection as well as the Pacific Asia Museum collection and offer a rare opportunity to understand an artist whose influence on Japanese graphic art and design continues to this day.



About Pacific Asia Museum

Pacific Asia Museum is among the few institutions in the United States dedicated exclusively to the arts and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands. The museum's mission is to further intercultural understanding through the arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands. Since 1971, Pacific Asia Museum has served a broad audience of students, families, adults, and scholars through its education and outreach programs.



Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. Admission is $9 general, $7 students/seniors, and free for museum members and children under 12. Admission is free every 4th Friday of the month.

For more information visit www.pacificasiamuseum.org or call (626) 449-2742.