Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) was a Japanese painter and printmaker of the ukiyo-e tradition whose seven-decade career ranged across landscapes, nature, fantasy and scenes of everyday life.

Biography

Known in English as Hokusai, Katsushika Hokusai was a leading artist of late Edo-period Japan. He trained with Katsukawa Shunshō and worked across painting, drawing, woodblock prints and illustrated books. Over his long career he adopted many artistic names and repeatedly reinvented his practice. His celebrated series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji includes Under the Wave off Kanagawa, often called the Great Wave. His bold compositions and expressive treatment of landscape became influential well beyond Japan.

Awards & Honours

The museum biographies consulted do not document formal awards or honours for Hokusai. No award is listed here.

Exhibitions & Residencies

Hokusai’s works have been presented in major museum exhibitions long after his lifetime. Selected retrospective presentations include Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Hokusai at the National Gallery of Victoria. Artist residencies are not applicable to his historical period.

Selected Works

Under the Wave off Kanagawa (about 1830–31), from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, is among Hokusai’s best-known woodblock prints. The work is discussed here as an art-historical example, not as a Foundation collection item. No Foundation artwork match has been verified, so no collection work or image is presented.

Sources

British Museum biography · Museum of Fine Arts, Boston exhibition · National Gallery of Victoria exhibition