Chrysanthemums, Dragons and Samurai Japanese Ceramics at the Musée Ariana 11.12.2020 – 09.01.2022

The exhibition of Japanese ceramics at the Ariana Museum highlights an outstanding collection of Japanese ceramics – one of the largest and finest collection of such works in central Europe. The collection encompasses some of the earliest examples of Japanese ceramics from the 17th century and ranges all the way to contemporary ceramic artists, including Sueharu Fukami (1947–). The collection also houses a small collection of monumental ceramics sent from Japan to major international exposition in Europe during the late 19th century, as well as early Edo-period masterpieces gathered by the founder of the museum, Gustave Revilliod (1817–1890).

The survey of the objects in the collection was a major undertaking of a comprehensive collaboration with the Section for East Asian Art that started in 2011 and ended in the summer of 2020. The collaboration involved not only the museum and the KGOA but the National Museum of Japanese History, a half dozen leading Japanese ceramic scholars, and dozens of present and past KGOA students. The exhibition stands as a statement to the long and thorough archival research of all participants.