Press release

Color Woodblock Prints by Hiroshige, Kunisada and Hokusai

The motifs in Japanese colored woodcuts have long-since formed part of popular and consumer culture: Views of Mount Fuji, impressions of the Cherry Blossom Festival and portraits of fabled warriors belong to our pictorial world. They shape our ideas of Japan. This artistic movement has been a source of fascination for the past 200 years, a fascination shared by Dr. Carl Mettler (1877–1942). The Basel based chemist amassed an elaborate collection of these woodcuts virtually in secret. Indebted in no small degree to Mettler, the Kupferstichkabinett is home to some 350 original works from this unique collection. Several among the prints, formerly produced in high-volume editions, are now only to be found in a handful of copies worldwide and—unknown to the public until now—in Basel.

Made in Japan at the Kunstmuseum Basel, offers visitors the opportunity to rediscover an otherwise familiar art form. As on your journey to the Land of the Rising Sun, you will encounter an outstanding collection of Japanese woodcuts.

Curated by: Judith Rauser, Hans Bjarne Thomsen