Design Dicscussion Expands on Japan Society's Acclaimed Exhibtion the Genius of Japanese Lacquer

For Immediate Release

Exhibition Talk: Hidden Beauty in Edo Design

Tuesday, May 13, 6:30 pm at Japan Society

New York, NY -- Japan Society's Lectures Program presents the Exhibition Talk, Hidden Beauty in Edo Design, examining various aspects of late-Edo period design. Held in conjunction with The Genius of Japanese Lacquer: Masterworks by Shibata Zeshin through June 15, panelists include Sharon S. Takeda, Senior Curator and Department Head, Costumes and Textiles at Los Angeles County Museum; Terry Satsuki Milhaupt, distinguished independent scholar; and Joe Earle, Director, Japan Society Gallery. Hidden Beauty in Edo Design takes place May 13 at 6:30 pm and is followed by a reception.

Late-Edo period design in both textiles and lacquerware is distinguished by a penchant for near-invisible tiny details and minutely worked techniques that situate value in time and skill rather than precious materials. Hidden Beauty in Edo Design explores a variety of topics from the impact of Western design on Japan and Japan's influence on the West; philosophical and practical background to iki--an understated aesthetic that characterizes much of Shibata Zeshin's work; and the beauty of hidden design in Japanese and Western culture.

About Sharon Sadako Takeda
Sharon Sadako Takeda is Senior Curator and Head of the Department of Costume and Textiles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). She joined LACMA after concluding two years of postgraduate work in Japan under the auspices of the Japanese Ministry of Education. Ms. Takeda has curated numerous exhibitions at LACMA, including two major installations, Miracles and Mishchief: Noh and Kyōgen Theater in Japan (2002-03) and When Art Became Fashion: Kosode in Edo-Period Japan (1992-93), which both won multiple national awards. Her latest exhibition, Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, highlights important Japanese designers and is currently completing an international tour. Ms. Takeda’s publications include Japanese Fishermen’s Coats from Awaji Island for UCLA’s Fowler Museum of Cultural History and articles in The Dictionary of Art, The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japan and Edo: Art in Japan 1615-1868. She was a visiting professor in the Department of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA (2003-04) and presently serves on the Directing Council of the Centre International d’Etude des Textiles Anciens, based in Lyon, France.

About Terry Satsuki Milhaupt
Dr. Terry Satsuki Milhaupt, an independent scholar, has lectured at museums and universities in Japan and the US on the arts and designs of Japan. She is the author of “Facets of the Kimono: Reflections of Japan’s Modernity” in Arts of Japan: The John C. Weber Collection, 2006; “Second Hand Silk Kimono Migrating Across Borders,” in Old Clothes, New Looks: Second Hand Fashion, 2005; “Tsujigahana Textiles and their Fabrication,” in Turning Point: Oribe and the Arts of Sixteenth Century Japan, 2003; and has contributed articles to Orientations and the Yale University Gallery of Art Bulletin. She was twice awarded the Jane and Morgan Whitney Research Fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2007, she guest curated “Contemporary Netsuke: Masterful Miniatures” for the Museum of Arts & Design. Last fall, she was a Visiting Professor at the Bard Graduate Center. Currently, she is researching and writing a book on the history of modern kimono to be published by Reaktion.

About The Genius of Japanese Lacquer: Masterworks by Shibata Zeshin
March 21-June 15, 2008
Shibata Zeshin (1807–1891) is history’s greatest lacquer artist, recognized worldwide for his exquisitely detailed lacquered boxes, panels, sword mounts, and other objects, as well as scrolls painted in both ink and lacquer. In addition to his mastery of traditional techniques, Zeshin developed a range of daring new lacquer textures and finishes imitating rusty iron, rough seas, patinated bronze, and even the delicate grain of Chinese rosewood. With The Genius of Japanese Lacquer: Masterworks by Shibata Zeshin, Japan Society presents the finest collection of the artist’s works ever assembled outside of Japan. The New York Times noted the exhibition "presents an artist of exquisite taste and almost superhuman manual dexterity […] dumbfoundingly gorgeous," and The New York Sun wrote the work "rival[s] the most skillful compositions of the Impressionists." Organized by the San Antonio Museum of Art and Japan Society, and based on the collection of Catherine and Thomas Edson. [Hours: Tue.-Thu., 11 am-6 pm; Fri., 11 am-9 pm; Sat. and Sun., 11 am-5 pm; closed on Mon. and major holidays. $12/$10 students and seniors/FREE Japan Society Members, children under 16 and to the general public Fridays from 6-9 pm.]

About Japan Society
Founded in 1907 by prominent New York City business people and philanthropists, Japan Society has evolved over 100 years into an internationally recognized nonprofit organization presenting a full range of programs within arts and culture, business, education, family, and public policy. Through over 100 events annually, the Society creates rich encounters and exchanges that offer opportunities to experience Japanese culture; foster sustained and open dialogue on issues important to the U.S., Japan, and East Asia; and improve access to information on Japan.

Tickets & Information
Hidden Beauty in Edo Design takes place Tuesday, May 13, 6:30 pm. $10/$8 Japan Society members/$5 seniors & students Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 at 42nd Street-Grand Central Station or the E and V at Lexington Avenue and 53rd St.) For reservations, call the box office at 212-715-1258. For further information call 212-832-1155 or visit www.japansociety.org.

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For further information, images and interview requests, please refer to:

Aya Akeura
Japan Society
T: (212) 715-1292
F: (212) 715-1262
E: aakeura@japansociety.org

Kuniko Shiobara
Japan Society
T: 212-715-1249
F: (212) 715-1262
E: kshiobara@japansociety.org