Hark Back to Ukiyo-e: Tracing Superflat to Japonisme's Genesis

Across a suite of 24 paintings, Murakami revisits Japanese ukiyo-e prints and how they influenced European Impressionism throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition explores the historical dialogue between Japanese ukiyo-e prints and European Impressionism, particularly the influence of bijinga – pictures of beautiful women – on artists such as Monet. Inspired by a recent visit to Monet's Giverny, Murakami advances his Superflat theory by tracing how Edo-period compositions, costumes, and sensual gestures reshaped Western approaches to modern life and abstraction.