Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese, 1760–1849), View of Togetsu Bridge at Arashiyama in Yamashiro from the series Remarkable Views of Famous Bridges in Various Provinces, ca. 1834, woodblock print, ink and color on paper, 9 15/16 x 14 ¾ in.; The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 32-143/185
Hokusai: Masterpieces from the Spencer Museum of Art, the Richardson-North Collection, and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
September 21, 2024 – February 1, 2025
Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) is one of the most creative and versatile artists in the history of Japanese art. Drawn from extensive collections in the Kansas City area, Hokusai: Masterpieces from the Spencer Museum of Art, the Richardson-North Collection, and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art introduces Hokusai’s enduring paintings and prints in the context of Hokusai’s time.
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Rubbing of Ritual Disc with Dragon Motifs (Bi) (detail), China, 19th-early 20th c., hanging scroll, ink on paper, 14 5/16 in (36.35 cm); Bequest of Laurence Sickman, F88-45/110
The Art of Ink Rubbings: Impressions of Chinese Culture
July 20, 2024 – February 2, 2025
As early as 600 C.E., scholars and collectors commissioned ink rubbings to preserve ancient inscriptions carved on stone or bronze. Advances in ink and paper in the 1200s spurred more refined production, and rubbings were soon regarded as works of art in their own right. In the 1800s, artists created many sophisticated rubbings from bronzes, jades, and sculptures to revitalize the appreciation of antique objects.
Due to its simplicity, beauty, and affinity to important historical objects, ink rubbings’ popularity endured despite advances in other reproductive media. In the 1930s, future Nelson-Atkins director Laurence Sickman (1907–1988) amassed an extensive collection of ink rubbings and, with other collectors, introduced Chinese ink rubbings to a global audience.
This exhibition features more than 25 rubbings, as well as some of the original objects, and offers a window into the remarkable practice, variety, and allure of Chinese ink rubbing.
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Aries (Mangala), from a series of Astrological Paintings, Indian, about 1810. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 7 3/4 × 6 inches (19.69 × 15.24 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Gift of Wayne and Nancy Hunnicutt, 2019.63.1.
Mapping the Heavens: Art, Astronomy, and Exchange between the Islamic Lands and Europe
December 14, 2024 – January 11, 2026
Where are we? When are we?
These fundamental questions drove the development of astronomical sciences and religious practices across different times, regions, and faiths, to map and understand our place in the world and its relationship with the heavens.
The story of Mapping the Heavens begins in the Islamic World during the Early Middle Ages (c. 500s – 1200s CE), where Muslim scientists preserved and advanced the study of astronomy. Access to these scientific texts– many collected and translated in Spain in the 1200s and widely disseminated in books after the invention of the printing press in the 1400s–fueled a revolution of new discoveries and created a shared astronomical knowledge across Europe.
The works presented in this exhibition introduce the advancement of astronomy as a multi-cultural and multi-faith dialogue between scholars and scientists, showcasing the beauty and importance of the books, instruments, and images that communicated these discoveries.
Mapping the Heavens is part of our World Religions Initiative at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. This exhibition is co-organized with the Linda Hall Library and generously supported by the Lilly Endowment Inc.
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