Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2013

With Japan’s opening up in the 19th century came a desire not only to equal but also to surpass the West. Toward that end it was first necessary to master Western styles. Japanese artists flocked to the capital of Western art, Paris, from 1900 on, where some passionately embraced the study of Western art and others attempted to establish a Japanese identity within the framework of modern Western art. This show looks at the work of painters like Tsuguharu “Léonard” Fujita and provides evidence of a lively artistic dialog that paved the way for contemporary-art Japanese success stories such as Takeshi Murakami.

Bridgestone Museum of Art, until Jun 9