Octopus Form Box, late 19th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Allan and Maxine Kurtzman, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA.
‘Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art’ at LACMA The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art, the first U.S. exhibition to bring together artistic representations of animals in all media across Japanese history from the 5th century to the present. September 22 to December 8, 2019.]]>
Source: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Underpinned by Japan’s unique spiritual heritage of Shintō and Buddhism, the Japanese reverence for nature—and the place of animals within that realm—is expressed in sculpture, painting, lacquerware, ceramics, metalwork, cloisonné, and woodblock prints. Lions, dogs, horses, oxen, cats, fish, insects, birds, dragons, and phoenixes are meticulously and beautifully rendered in a vast variety of artworks. Featuring nearly 200 objects, the exhibition draws heavily from LACMA’s permanent collection and includes other masterpieces from Japanese and American public and private collections, some of which are on view for the first time.
”Every Living Thing” celebrates one of the most distinctive and compelling aspects of Japanese art: the ubiquitous depiction of animals. With works ranging from ancient tomb sculptures to contemporary digital displays, the exhibition reveals the various roles animals have played in Japanese culture through thematic sections including: the Japanese zodiac, leisure and pastimes, myth and folklore, religion, the natural world, the world of the samurai, and foreign and exotic animals.
“Animals play an unparalleled role in Japanese art and culture,” says Robert T. Singer, department head and curator of Japanese art at LACMA. “Any visitor to Japan will quickly notice their pervasiveness: from high art and low, in religion and popular culture, in objects made for the tea ceremony and even as symbols for the times of day. These creatures, real and mythical, have long inspired Japan’s creative imagination and continue to do so.”
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