Katagami — Paper Stencils and Japonisme

Photo of Katagami — Paper Stencils and Japonisme

  • Photo of Katagami

    Katagami, connected ox-cart wheel (Genji-guruma) pattern, Meiji period, 19th century, private collection

  • Photo of Chugata Suo

    Chugata Suo, cart wheel (Genji-guruma) and wave (Seigaiha) pattern on light blue linen, Edo period, 19th century, Japan Arts Council - National Noh Theatre

  • Photo of Bingata katagami

    Bingata katagami, pine and plum pattern, Ryukyu Kingdom period, 18th-19th century, Suntory Museum of Art

  • Photo of Bingata Kimono

    Bingata Kimono, weeping cherry tree, swallow, flowing water, dragon, and floral pattern, Ryukyu Kingdom period, 18th-19th century, private collection


  • Photo of artwork titled Idleness by Félix Vallotton

    Félix Vallotton, Idleness, 1896, The Niigata Prefectural Museum of Modern Art/The Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum

  • Photo of Katagami

    Katagami, geometric pattern, 19th century, Blanche and Bertrand Bellon Collection

  • Photo of comb by René Lalique

    René Lalique, “Cherry Blossom” Comb, c. 1902-1903, Lalique Museum, Hakone

  • Photo of Toiletry Box by Philippe Wolfers

    Philippe Wolfers, Toiletry Box, 1916, Belgian Royal Museum of Art and History (Inv.7758)


The art of paper stencils, called katagami, has been handed down in Japan as a core technique in stencil dyeing. It is not widely known, however, that in the nineteenth century katagami were exported through world expositions and other occasions to Western Europe, where their motifs had a great impact on craft designs and decorative art.

The Katagami — Paper Stencils and Japonisme exhibition will unravel the history of katagami stencils. At the same time, through numerous posters, jewelry, textiles, books, furniture, metalwork, and other objects, it will look into the influences of katagami on Western European design in the context of the decorative art movement.

Outline
Duration: Thursday, October 19, 2006, to Saturday, January 20, 2007
Venue: Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris
(The Japan Cultural Institute in Paris)
Supervisors: Akiko Mabuchi, Professor, Department of Humanities and Cultures, Japan Women's University
Iwao Nagasaki, Professor, Kyoritsu Women's University
Yoko Takagi, Professor, Bunka Fashion Graduate University
Organized by: The Japan Foundation
Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris
The Association for Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris
In cooperation with: Kyoritsu Women's University
Supported by: Japan Airlines, Domaine de Belesbat (bsi group)

In conjunction with the exhibition, lectures will be held at the Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris:

Thu., October 19, 2006: “Katagami and Japonisme” by Akiko Mabuchi
Wed., December 13, 2006: “The History of Stencil Dyeing in Japan” by Iwao Nagasaki
For details please see:
http://www.mcjp.fr/ (in French)

*Exhibition catalogs (in French only) will be available for purchase at Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris and the Library of the Japan Foundation in Tokyo.

Contact: (Mr.) Takeshita or (Ms.) Yamada, Visual Arts Div., Japan Foundation
Phone: 03-5369-6062Fax: 03-5369-6038

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