The first exhibition held outside Tokyo dedicated to Japanese Art Deco, "DECO JAPAN" provides dramatic examples of the spectacular craftsmanship and sophisticated design long associated with Japan and conveys the complex social and cultural tensions during the Taishô and early Shôwa epochs (1912-1945). In these pre-war and war eras, artists and patrons created a Japanese modernism that signaled simultaneously the nation's unique history and cosmopoltinism. The vitality of the era is further expressed through the theme of the moga, or modern girl, the emblem of contemporary urban chic that flowered along with the Art Deco style in the 1920's and 1930's.
Selected by Professor Ken Brown, the nearly 200 works shown here highlight the Levenson collection -- the world's premier collection of Japanese art in the Deco style. These pieces include spectacular examples of metalwork, ceramics, lacquer, glass, wood furniture, jewelry, textiles, graphic design on paper, painting and woodblock prints; they range from fine art objects made to impress the public at national art exhibitions to goods mass produced for the modern home.
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