Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Illuminating the history of collecting Japanese art

This
richly illustrated volume addresses the history of collecting Japanese
art and the factors that contributed to the growth of collections in
North America following the Meiji Restoration in 1868. With wide-ranging
essays that fill in gaps in the scholarly investigation of the subject,
art historians discuss the historical development of the Japanese
aesthetic and examine questions of connoisseurship, authenticity, and
controversial collectors and their current-day reception.

The
volume also features case studies on the formation of Japanese art
collections in North America, exploring the diverse array of factors
that contributed to their quality, contents, and the role that these
collections play for their respective communities. Contributors delve
into university and museum archives and interview art dealers,
collectors, and artists to better understand their own collections. They
present original research on cross-pollination and dialogue between
artists from Japan and the United States, the development and growth of
museums, and the personal histories of the people who shaped art
collections. Together, these essays illustrate the shifting priorities
in the collection of Japanese art across 150 years.

A volume in the David A. Cofrin Asian Art Manuscript Series, edited by Allysa B. Peyton
