THE JAPAN CRAZE: Art and Craft in Rhode Island after 1854

June 12 - October 17, 2010
Sponsored by WILLIAM VAREIKA FINE ARTS LTD

Lilla Cabot Perry Lady in a Kimono, 1898-1901, Oil on Canvas; 40 x 30 in. Collection of John G. Hagan, Wellesley, Massachusetts

Rhode Island can lay claim to at least two major connections to the craze for all things Japanese (Japonism or Japonisme) that swept across Europe and North America after the Kanagawa Treaty opened Japan to the rest of the world in 1854. Newport's native son Commodore Mathew C. Perry negotiated the treaty, and John La Farge, one of the most notable of many important 19th century American artists to work in the Narragansett Bay region, traveled to Japan and was among the first American artists whose style and subject matter were influenced by the Japanese aesthetic.

"The Japan Craze" features paintings, prints, books and decorative objects with a Rhode Island connection that suggest the Japanese influence, as well as works of Japanese origin, or that reflect Japonism and were collected by Rhode Islanders.

This collaborative exhibition includes works from the Newport Art Museum's permanent collection as well as work on loan from the Redwood Library and Athenæum, the Preservation Society of Newport County, the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Rhode Island Department of Textiles, Fashion, Merchandising and Design, Providence Art Club and many private collections.

From the Japanese: Contemporary Selections

Diane Montenegro Hello Elvis, 2010 Hand and machine sewn; silk, cotton, polyester and nylon

INSIDE: Works by the late Alfred De Credico, Luke Randall, Diane Montenegro, Hiroko Shikashio, Bettie Sarantos and Chester Michalik among others.

OUTSIDE : Record a thought or a prayer on Japanese joss paper, then place it in Ex Voto, a sculpture by Meris Barreto, to be installed on the grounds this summer. The papers will be burned in a Japanese-inspired fire box.

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