A Century of Kyoto Bijin-ga

The Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art was founded in 1933 as the Kyoto Enthronement Memorial Museum of Art and changed its name to the current one in 1952. The museum has played a significant role as one of the largest museums in western Japan to exhibit modern and contemporary art. Most of its enormous collection of Japanese art created in the post-Meiji era originates in Kyoto and is highly valuable in narrating the history of arts and crafts in modern Japan. This exhibition introduces various styles of female paintings and how they changed throughout the Meiji, Taisho and Showa era through approximately seventy masterpieces selected from the Japanese paintings collection of the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Bijin-ga was developed as a central theme in the art after the Meiji era, and the style diversified as society changed. For instance, the “modern girl” symbolized the status of women in the Taisho - Showa era, and the art depicted a fulfilling lifestyle of women surrounded by modern furniture with a dress that blended the Japanese and western styles together. The depiction of women is truly a reflection of the times.

Including Flower of Life by Shoen Uemura, Flat Bed by Bakusen Tsuchida, Kanga by Seison Maeda, and Paipatiroma by Keigetsu Kikuchi.