Garden of Eden - Nature utopias of Japan
03.07.2025 - 21.09.2025 ,
Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München in der Pinakothek der Moderne (State Collection of Prints and Drawings in the Pinacotheca of the Modern)
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Japanese woodcuts from the 18th and 19th centuries had a greater influence on European modernism than other Asian artworks. The term "ukiyo-e" describes those "pictures of the flowing world" that were produced in Japan at great expense and in large print runs and were distributed all over the world. From the French Impressionists to the artists of the Blaue Reiter movement, Western artists drew inspiration from Japanese woodcuts. To this day, these works enchant us with their colourful, formal and technical virtuosity. In 2020/21, the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München received a donation of around 250 prints by some of the great masters of this medium, including Hokusai (1760-1849) and Hiroshige (1797-1858). This donation is an ingenious addition to the museum's European holdings.
For the exhibition Garden of Eden. Nature Utopias of Japan, we have invited the renowned Japanese sculptor Yoshihiro Suda (*1969) to share his view of our collections of Japanese and European art with us. This artistic and curatorial collaboration has resulted in an extremely stimulating and unusual, even utopian show that teaches us to marvel and look anew.
Last edited on 19.01.2026
