FASHIONING KIMONO: Art Deco and Modernism in Japan
The 97 kimono in this exhibition portray two important facets: they represent one of the most dynamic periods in the history of Japan's national costume, and they also depict the last historical era of the "living kimono"- when kimono was being worn by the large majority of the populace. But the kimono never lost its appeal; it remained the dominant dress form from the early 20th century until the 1940's, as it took on, little by little, a more formal meaning. In the minds of the Japanese at this time, the kimono symbolized Japan before the war. The exhibition includes formal, semi-formal, and casual kimono, haori jackets, and undergarments worn by men, women, and children. The kimono are drawn from the Montgomery Collection in Lugano, Switzerland, and are featured along with a selection of period photographs on loan from the International Hokusai Research Centre in Milan.
Dates: April 2008 – October 2011
2008 April 26 - July 20 November 15 - February 15, 2009
Philadelphia Museum of Art, (Philadelphia, PA) John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, (Sarasota, FL)
2009 March 7 - May 17 June 6 - August 16 December 4 - January 10, 2010
Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Univ. of Florida, (Gainsville, FL) Tyler Museum of Art, (Tyler, TX) Society of the Four Arts, (Palm Beach, FL)
2010 January 30 - April 4 July 31-October 10 October 30-January 9, 2011
Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, (Rochester, NY) Birmingham Museum of Art, (Birmingham, AL) Newcomb Gallery of Art, Tulane University (New Orleans, LA)
2011 January 28 - April 10
Museum of Arts and Sciences, (Macon, GA)
Traveling Exhibitions from Art Services International
Images courtesy of and used under license from the Lenders, unless another source is noted.
The 97 kimono in this exhibition portray two important facets: they represent one of the most dynamic periods in the history of Japan's national costume, and they also depict the last historical era of the "living kimono"- when kimono was being worn by the large majority of the populace. But the kimono never lost its appeal; it remained the dominant dress form from the early 20th century until the 1940's, as it took on, little by little, a more formal meaning. In the minds of the Japanese at this time, the kimono symbolized Japan before the war. The exhibition includes formal, semi-formal, and casual kimono, haori jackets, and undergarments worn by men, women, and children. The kimono are drawn from the Montgomery Collection in Lugano, Switzerland, and are featured along with a selection of period photographs on loan from the International Hokusai Research Centre in Milan.
