At 73 years, I was somewhat able to fathom the growth of plant and trees, and the structure of birds, animals, insects and fish. To quote Hokusai: 'From the age of six I had a penchant for copying the form of things, and from about 50, my pictures were frequently published but until the age of 70, nothing I drew was worthy of notice. Our exhibition agrees with that assessment. Hokusai believed that the older he got, the greater he would become as an artist. Which of Hokusai’s personal beliefs did you discover when researching this exhibit? Will people be surprised by any of them? And wherever possible we are showing fresh early impressions with good colour and in good condition. This includes two magnificent painted ceiling panels of wave subjects loaned by Kanmachi Neighbourhood Council, Obuse, done by Hokusai in 1845, when he was eighty-six, for a festival cart in that town.Īre there any prints that are particularly rare?Īll of the prints are from the original printings issued during Hokusai’s lifetime. Many of the works are in the UK for the first time. Were you surprised to source any of his work in particular? The exhibition results from a close curatorial collaboration with Dr Shūgō Asano, leading Hokusai scholar and Director of the Abeno Harukas Art Museum, Osaka, where a similar exhibition will be shown from 6 October – 19 November 2017. Why do you think now is a good time for a Hokusai Exhibition? So we go in touch with Tim Clark the exhibition's curator. Naturally being fans of Japan we know you're eager to find out more about this. The British Museum will be hosting a Hokusai Exhibition from Thursday 25th May until Sunday 13th August 2017.ĭedicated to the Japanese master the exhibition entitled Hokusai: beyond the Great wave will feature two magnificent painted ceiling panels of wave subjects loaned by Hokusaikan, Obuse, done in 1845 for a festival cart, along with many other fabulous bits of artwork.

Hokusai's Great Wave by Timothy Clark