Kyosai: The Israel Goldman Collection

Kawanabe Kyosai was one of the most exciting Japanese painters of the 19th century. Published to accompany an exhibition- the first outside of Japan in nearly 30 years - at the Royal Academy Spring 2022

The Japanese artist Kawanabe Kyosai (1831–1889), a student of Utagawa Kuniyoshi, has been described as Japan’s first political cartoonist; indeed, the sharp satirical edge to his paintings often placed him on the wrong side of the law. The politically turbulent times in which Kyosai lived are reflected in his riotous images, in which skeletons, demons and ghosts rub shoulders with classically rendered ukiyo-e courtesans. Among his most charming and inventive works are his brilliant depictions of animals — crows, frogs and elephants, among many others — which often stand in for political figures of the day. Kyosai’s important place in the art of Japan is here explored in depth by Koto Sadamura, a leading authority on the artist, in this catalogue of the exceptionally rich holdings of the Israel Goldman Collection.