Bijinga:
Japanese Paintings of
Beautiful Women

March 6, 2002–June 16, 2002

Courtesan Reclining by a Circular Window
after Chobusai Eishi, Japan Meiji period.
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Kamansky.

This small exhibit will feature paintings and prints of beautiful women from the Museum's outstanding collection of Edo period (1600–1868) Japanese paintings. Such paintings, known in Japanese as bijinga (literally, "pictures of beautiful women"), depict courtesans and other women from the pleasure quarters of Japan's cities. These women often wore the most elaborate and fashionable kimonos and hairstyles of the day, the details of which are exquisitely rendered in pigments on silk and paper.

Artists from various schools, including the Kaigetsudo, Hishikawa and Hokusai schools, and celebrated artists such as Tohoharu (1763–1828) and Eisen (1790–1848) will be featured in this exhibition. Many of the paintings and prints exhibited were recently donated to the Museum in generous gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Kamansky and Dr. and Mrs. Jesse L. Greenstein.

Courtesan and Attendant Watching Butterflies
Chobusai Eishi, Japan, c. 1798
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Kamansky