Detail: An exhibition Serizawa Keisuke, a towering figure in 20th-century Japanese art , whose revival and bold exploration of the techniques of stencil-dyeing propelled him into the forefront of Japan’s folk art movement and popular culture. Nearly half of the 100 works featured are large-scale screens, wall hangings, scrolls and entrance curtains (noren) - their large swathes of rich, bright colours and inventive, layered patterns providing a visual feast. Still other works assembled from private and public collections include exquisite kimonos and ob) of cotton, bark cloth and a range of silks, as well as an array of books and book covers printed on cotton as well as on paper.
A 134-page, fully illustrated catalogue edited by Joe Earle and published by Yale University Press provides the historical, cultural, and ideological context for Serizawa’s unique oeuvre in six essays written by leading Japanese and American scholars of 20th-century Japanese art and literature. Published in September 2009 ($35.00 retail), the Serizawa: Master of Japanese Textile Design catalogue will be available at Japan Society website, and booksellers nationwide.