Exhibition Outlines

The 1900 Paris International Exposition is known to have been a quite brilliant event looking back upon the past 100 years and facing towards the new century, being the last international exposition of the 19th century. Various objects from various divisions selected among the works of the participating countries were gathered to this event, and Japan was very positive in participation, especially in the art and crafts divisions. Furthermore, the Imperial Court and Imperial Household Ministry were involved with the entries of art works, and commissioned works to be exhibited to 23 artists centering around Imperial Court Artists. Much consideration between the Imperial Household Ministry and the artists was carried out until the contents were decided, and each artist created their work exerting their skills. These are now considered to be the representative works of these artists, and are also important among Japanese modern art and craft history.

In this exhibition, along with works exhibited in this exposition, we will also introduce works that were created by Imperial Court Artists during the same era, exhibited in Domestic Industrial Expositions and other exhibitions, and works commissioned by Imperial order. Most of the works in this exhibition can be considered to have been used within the palace, etc. and have a decorative character as furnishings. We expect this to be an opportunity to reconsider the artistic and historical significance of the works exhibited in the 1900 Paris International Exposition, as works representing Japanese art of the time.