Marais, Paris
Group Exhibition
Modern Japanese Printmakers: Post-War to Now
Vie ProjectsAdo, Ay-O, Yoshida Chizuko, Fukita Fumiaki, Yoshida Hodaka, Saitō Kiyoshi, Sugai Kumi, Noda Tetsuya, Tokuriki Tomikichiro, Funasaka Yoshisuke Curated by Malene Wagner As the first exhibition of its kind in Paris since 1963, Modern Japanese Printmakers explores the vibrant work of 10 Japanese artists from the post-war period to today – a celebration of trailblazers who challenged conventions and reinterpreted Japanese printing tradition. From the understated woodblock prints of Noda Tetsuya (1940-) and Saitō Kiyoshi (1907-1997) that blend traditional techniques with modern influences, to the bold and colourful silkscreen prints of Ay-O (1931-) and Ado (1936-1995), the exhibition reveals the wide-ranging styles and themes of artists at the forefront of the printing medium, a few of whom are still alive and active today. Going beyond Hokusai and the Japanese prints of the Edo period (1603-1868) that greatly influenced the earlier generation of Western artists like Monet, Toulouse- Lautrec and Picasso, the modern Japanese printmakers defined a period of profound artistic invention gaining international acclaim in their lifetime at the Venice and São Paolo biennials, as well as in exhibitions at MoMA, Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris and LACMA. Collected and curated by Danish Art Historian, Malene Wagner, the exhibition is based on her newly published book Modern Japanese Printmakers: New Waves and Eruptions (Prestel Publishing) that draws on first-hand interviews and extensive research. Malene Wagner is a Danish Art Historian specialising in Japanese art and has worked with museums including The Ateneum (Helsinki), National Gallery of Denmark (Copenhagen) and MUDEC (Milan). She is also a contributing writer to several publications such as Stillness (Gestalten), Waraku Magazine, Kinfolk, Ark Journal, Apollo Magazine and Japanomania in the Nordic Countries (Yale University Press). Her book Modern Japanese Printmakers: New Waves and Eruptions was published in November 2025 as the first of its kind since 1975. Wagner has run her own art consultancy firm, Tiger Tanuki since 2014.