SAM showcases the splendid exhibition Japan Envisions the West

Japan Envisions the West: 16th–19th Century Japanese Art from Kobe City Museum
October 11, 2007–January 6, 2008 SAM Simonyi Special Exhibition Galleries
Part I (October 11–November 25) and Part II (December 1–January 6)

The exhibition Japan Envisions the West, organized by the Seattle Art Museum in collaboration with the Kobe City Museum, provides an intriguing window on the early interaction between Japan and the West during the period of the 16th to 19th centuries. The exhibition features rare and exquisite paintings, prints, maps, ceramics, lacquer ware, metal ware, glass ware, leather ware and textiles, many of which have never traveled outside of Japan before. It was fascinating to see not only how the Japanese saw Westerners but also how Japanese artists responded to and interpreted Western art and culture. The exhibit raises important contemporary questions about how we perceive people and cultures different from our own and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Seattle-Kobe sister city relationship.

Museum notes that due to their fragile nature, 44 works of art from Kobe City Museum will be taken down in late November and new works will take their place. We are very much looking forward to the exciting second half of this unique exhibition.