This exhibition addresses various aspects of the modernization of Japan and the internationalization of artistic production through different artistic techniques. It includes, among other things, examples of silverware, cloisonné, photographs, textiles, paintings, bronzes and ceramics to illustrate the changes in society as a whole and in art in particular, highlighting great artists such as  Kawanabe Kyosai and Shibata Zeshin.

At the opening of the exhibition on the 16th of October, Professor Khalili said that this is the latest manifestation of a growing appreciation of the Japanese aesthetic in the West. Ever since the Collection’s first milestone 1994 exhibition Japanese Imperial Craftsmen: Meiji art from the Khalili Collection at the British Museum, the idea of Japonisme – the late 19th century European fascination for Japanese art and culture – has seen something of a revival. Having amassed, conserved, researched, published and exhibited the largest Meiji art collection outside of Japan, we at the Khalili Collections are proud and honoured to have played an important role in this revival.