Once a celebrated artist in Tokyo, Taki Katei’s paintings were displayed in the Imperial court and his impressive works also travelled to international exhibitions. After his death the demand for delicate paintings of flowers and birds fell out of fashion and his work was slowly forgotten.
World Museum will display the first-ever exhibition of Taki Katei’s work outside Japan as part of the UK-Japan Season of Culture.
‘Drawing on Nature: Taki Katei’s Japan’ will showcase our rare archive of exquisite preparatory drawings that Taki Katei used for teaching, for preparing some of his major commissions, and as an aide-mémoire.
Separated into five themes, the exhibition looks at the hidden meanings and the symbolism in his works, the techniques he used, and his practice towards perfection.
The exhibition also tells the story of how this astonishing collection of ink drawings and watercolours travelled from an artist’s studio in Tokyo to a museum in Liverpool.