Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art
Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art
Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art celebrates one of the most distinctive and compelling aspects of Japanese art: the depiction of animals. Underpinned by Japan's unique spiritual heritage of Shintō and Buddhism, the Japanese reverence for nature—and the place of animals within that realm—is expressed in sculpture, painting, lacquer-work, ceramics, metalwork, cloisonné, and woodblock prints.
Lions, dogs, horses, oxen, cats, fish, insects, birds, dragons, phoenixes—animals warm and cold-blooded, real and imaginary—are meticulously and beautifully rendered in myriad works from ancient 6th-century clay sculpture to contemporary art. Arranged in themes such as Zodiac Animals, Animals from Nature, Religion, Myth and Folklore, and Leisure, the exhibition draws heavily from LACMA’s permanent collection and includes masterpieces from Japanese and American public and private collections, some of which are on view for the first time.
This exhibition is co-organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and The Japan Foundation, with special cooperation from the Tokyo National Museum.
Generous support is provided by Fiona Chalom Ph.D. and Joel Aronowitz M.D., The Emile J. Spaulding Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Richard Wayne, and the Asian Art Council.
Additional support is provided by All Nippon Airways (ANA).
All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Mr. and Mrs. Anthony and Lee Shaw, Kitzia and Richard Goodman, Jerry and Kathleen Grundhofer, Meredith and David Kaplan, and Jeffrey Saikhon, with generous annual funding from the Judy and Bernard Briskin Family Foundation, Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, Emily and Teddy Greenspan, Marilyn B. and Calvin B. Gross, Mary and Daniel James, David Lloyd and Kimberly Steward, Kelsey Lee Offield, David Schwartz Foundation, Inc., Andy Song, Lenore and Richard Wayne, and The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation.
This exhibition is part of Japan 2019, an initiative to promote Japanese culture in the United States.
Image: Tani Bunchō, Tiger Family and Magpies, 1807 (Bunka 4, 12th month, 18th day), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Charlotte Wayne and Richard Wayne in memory of Lenore Wayne, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA
- Sep 22–Dec 8, 2019
- Resnick Pavilion
This exhibition is co-organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and The Japan Foundation, with special cooperation from the Tokyo National Museum.
Generous support is provided by Fiona Chalom Ph.D. and Joel Aronowitz M.D., The Emile J. Spaulding Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Richard Wayne, and the Asian Art Council.
Additional support is provided by All Nippon Airways (ANA).
All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Mr. and Mrs. Anthony and Lee Shaw, Kitzia and Richard Goodman, Jerry and Kathleen Grundhofer, Meredith and David Kaplan, and Jeffrey Saikhon, with generous annual funding from the Judy and Bernard Briskin Family Foundation, Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, Emily and Teddy Greenspan, Marilyn B. and Calvin B. Gross, Mary and Daniel James, David Lloyd and Kimberly Steward, Kelsey Lee Offield, David Schwartz Foundation, Inc., Andy Song, Lenore and Richard Wayne, and The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation.
This exhibition is part of Japan 2019, an initiative to promote Japanese culture in the United States.
Image: Tani Bunchō, Tiger Family and Magpies, 1807 (Bunka 4, 12th month, 18th day), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Charlotte Wayne and Richard Wayne in memory of Lenore Wayne, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA
