#Japan

Artist Stories

Lee Ufan—The Beauty of Emptiness

Lee Ufan is a Korean-born international artist, whose work is key to the Mono-ha movement. If you have ever been lucky enough to encounter a Lee...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 13 August 2026

Asian Art

The Beauty of Folding Screens: Namban Byōbu of Japan

Masterfully crafted into hinged leaves and enclosed within a lacquer frame, the Japanese Namban folding screens, or the Namban byōbu, contain a...

Maya M. Tola 13 August 2026

Women Artists

Pumpkin Spiced Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama, the legendary Japanese artist born in 1929, began her career 69 years ago. Nevertheless, the world discovered her just a couple of...

Magda Michalska 10 August 2026

Women Artists

Yayoi Kusama and Her World of Polka Dots

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist and writer, born in 1929. Well-known for her repeating dot patterns, her art encompasses an astonishing variety of...

Zuzanna Stańska 10 August 2026

Women Artists

An Art Dialog Between Yayoi Kusama and Georgia O’Keeffe

Article presenting the relationship Yayoi Kusama and Georgia O'Keeffe developed during their career.

Amélie Pascutto 10 August 2026

Women Artists

The Polka Dot Queen: Yayoi Kusama Through 10 Artworks

Yayoi Kusama, often referred to as the Queen of Polka Dots, is a pioneering feminist artist, sculptor, performer, and much more—all embodied in one...

Katerina Papouliou 10 August 2026

Quiz

QUIZ: The Magic World of Hokusai

Errika Gerakiti, 25 July 2026

Quiz

QUIZ: Are You a Japanese Art Lover?

Katerina Papouliou 18 July 2026

Cats

Maneki Neko—Those Lucky Cats

We’ve all seen those jovial, happy cat figurines in Asian restaurants and shops. Sitting upright with their raised paw, smiling face, and trademark...

Nadine Waldmann 4 June 2026

Utagawa Hiroshige, Wind-tossed Waves at Seven-Mile Beach in Sagami Province, View No. 13 from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, 1852, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji by Hiroshige

Hokusai and his Wave have practically become symbols of Japan. It was first published in 1831 as a part of a larger series focusing on Mount Fuji, or...

Ledys Chemin 24 May 2026

Utagawa Hiroshige maple trees: Utagawa Hiroshige, Maple Trees at Mama, Tekona Shrine and Tsugi Bridge, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 1857, ink on paper, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Maple Trees at Mama by Utagawa Hiroshige

Utagawa Hiroshige’s prints were exported to Europe and became very popular with Western artists. Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh owned...

James W Singer 24 May 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Courtesan Hinaaya of the Chōji House by Kikukawa Eizan

The Courtesan Hinaaya of the Chōji House by Kikukawa Eizan, is one of the woodblock prints from Vincent and Theo van Gogh’s collection in the Van...

Urvi Chheda 24 May 2026