Gallery

Gallery

Life of Cats: Selections from the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Collection

Friday, March 13 – Sunday, June 7, 2015

Since arriving in Japan aboard Japanese ships transporting sacred Buddhist scriptures from China in the mid-sixth century, cats have proceeded to purr and paw their way into the heart of Japanese life, folklore, and art. Life of Cats: Selections from the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Collection illustrates the depth of this mutual attraction by mining the wealth of bravura depictions of cats to be found in ukiyo-e woodblock prints of the Edo Period (1615-1868).

Ninety ukiyo-e prints in the exhibition are on loan from the esteemed Hiraki Ukiyo-e Foundation whose holdings are revered in Japan. Select prints, paintings, sculptures, and other works borrowed from U.S. collections complement these prints, making the exhibition over 120 artworks. With cross-cultural and multi-generational appeal, Life of Cats takes viewers on a wild ride through Japan’s love affair with our feline friends.

Roughly 50 items will be replaced with new works halfway through Life of Cats—Rotation 1 will be on view from March 13 until April 26; Rotation 2 will be on view from April 29 until June 7. The exhibition will be closed on April 27th & 28th for the reinstallation.

Admission:
$12; students & seniors $10, Japan Society members & children under 16 free. Admission is free to all on Friday nights, 6-9 pm.

Gallery Hours:
Tues.-Thurs. 11 am-6 pm; Fri. 11 am-9 pm; Sat. & Sun. 11 am-5 pm, closed Mondays, major holidays, and Tuesday, April 28th.

Docent-led Tours:
Starting Fri., March 13, through Sun., June 7, 2015, docent-led walk-in tours will be conducted Tues.-Sun. at 2:30 pm and Fri. evenings at 7 pm. Japanese language tours will be conducted Friday nights at 6 pm. Tours are free with admission and are approximately one hour in duration.

Gallery Lessons:
Pre-K-12th grade school groups can schedule object-centered, one-hour Gallery lessons Tuesday–Friday by appointment.  For more information about arranging group tours, please call (212) 715-1223. Two weeks advance request recommended.

Life of Cats is divided into five sections: Cats and People, Cats as People, Cats versus People, Cats Transformed and Cats and Play. View selected pieces from the exhibition below!