High Drama: Japanese Prints of Theater, Heroes and History

This thematic exhibition incorporates student research from History of Art and Architecture Professor Akiko Walley’s Spring 2026 Japanese print course that focused on “the dramatic,” including dynamic prints of Kabuki theaters and actors, changing expressions of human bodies, and dramatizations of historical events and legends. 

Featuring recent gifts by Lee & Mary Jean Michels and Irwin Lavenberg, the undergraduate and graduate students in the course examined woodblock prints of the 18th-20th centuries that showcased action and powerful emotion with compelling graphic design. The exhibition is complemented by a selection of Japanese modern and contemporary prints, paintings, textiles, decorative arts, addressing the theme of “drama,” and includes a number of recent acquisitions. This exhibition was co-organized by chief curator Anne Rose Kitagawa. ​

As a final project, students in Professor Walley’s course conducted original research and composed label texts for select prints from the Michels and Lavenberg collections included in this exhibition. The wall text reflects five notable topics the graduate students in the course selected to capture the theme of “drama” in Japanese commercial woodblock prints of the early modern and modern periods.

Credit: Overview from museum website