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Friday, July 29, 2005
An Assortment of Beauties: Japanese Woodblock Prints Collected by Frank Lloyd Wright
NORTON SIMON MUSEUM: July 29, 2005 - January 9, 2006
The exhibition features Japanese woodblock prints devoted to images of beautiful women. This theme is one component of a school of picture making known as ukiyo-e, which can be translated as "pictures of the floating world." Beautiful women (bijin) were depicted alone as well as in small and large groups, entertaining themselves by playing games, preparing themselves for the night, or promenading though the city with their attendants or children. All of the approximately 20 woodblock prints included in this exhibition were once owned by the celebrated American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), who was a spirited collector of Asian art, including Japanese woodblock prints. Featured artists include Okumura Masanobu (1686-1764), Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806) and Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825).