Kimono for a Modern Age

Kimono for a Modern Age features more than 30 dazzling kimono from the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) on display for the first time in the museum’s Pavilion for Japanese Art. The exhibition is part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Bruce Goff–designed building.

Sharon S. Takeda, senior curator and head of LACMA’s Costume and Textiles Department and curator for Kimono for a Modern Age says, “We are excited to devote an entire exhibition in the Pavilion for Japanese Art to kimono from the first half of the 20th century. The vivid colors and bold graphic patterns, which include both traditional and modern motifs, will not only delight and surprise the viewer, but will shed light on the artistic and cultural changes that took place in modern Japan.”

Image credits: 

Woman’s Unlined Kimono (hitoe) with Waves and Dots, Japan, early Showa period, c. 1935, Costume Council Fund, Photo © 2014 Museum Associates/ LACMA

Woman’s Kimono with Abstract Hemp-Leaf Pattern, Japan, early Showa period, c. 1935, Costume Council Fund, Photo © 2014 Museum Associates/ LACMA

Woman’s Kimono with Geometric Pattern, Japan, early Showa period, c. 1940, Costume Council Fund, Photo © 2014 Museum Associates/ LACMA

Woman’s Kimono with Mountain Landscape, Japan, mid-Showa period, c. 1950, Purchased with funds provided by Jacqueline Avant, Photo © 2014 Museum Associates