SOAS lecturer launches historic Japanese printmaking exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery

SOAS Japan Research Centre's Dr Monika Hinkel is pleased to announce the launch of Yoshida 吉田: Three Generations of Japanese Printmaking, which she has co-curated for the Dulwich Picture Gallery.

The show, the first comprehensive overview of this family of printmakers in Europe and the UK, showcases almost 80 landmark works by Yoshida Hiroshi and his wife Fujio, their sons Tōshi and Hodaka, and their daughter-in-law Chizuko. The show culminates in a unique site-specific installation by the current generation artist Yoshida Ayomi. 

Dr Monika Hinkel, curator of the exhibition and lecturer in the Arts of Japan at SOAS University of London, said: "This is the first special exhibition in Europe of the iconic Yoshida family of printmakers, which highlight the continuity and change in their creative printmaking across a hundred years. It is exciting to be able to showcase the fascinating creative development of over three generations of such outstanding artists in this unique dynasty."

Jennifer Scott, Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery, said: "I get goosebumps thinking about Yoshida Hiroshi’s visit to Dulwich Picture Gallery in 1900. We (metaphorically) welcome him back with this landmark exhibition which introduces UK audiences to his exquisite work and to his legacy - an exceptional family of printmakers."

It is exciting to be able to exhibit so many iconic works of the renowned Yoshida family of printmakers to showcase the fascinating creative development of such outstanding artists over three generations.

Yoshida Ayomi added: "When I found my grandfather’s signature in the Dulwich Picture Gallery guest book, my heart skipped a beat. What an exciting and intriguing journey it must have been for Hiroshi, then an unknown painter and only 23, traveling from a country so far away. How proud he would be of this family exhibit of six, welcomed 120 years later at this wonderful museum."

Yoshida 吉田: Three Generations of Japanese Printmaking is open and runs until 3 November. Tickets are on sale via Dulwich Picture Gallery website.