is planned for Rome in the spring of 2026 at Palazzo Bonaparte
The guided tour of the Hokusai Exhibition in Rome takes visitors on a journey through the largest showcase ever dedicated to the great Japanese artist in Italy.
Hosted in the spaces of Palazzo Bonaparte, the exhibition celebrates 160 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan, established in 1866, paying tribute to the friendship and cultural exchange between the two countries. Through a selection of masterpieces, the Hokusai exhibition in Rome presents the complete works of the absolute master of ukiyo-e, universally recognized as the greatest Japanese artist of all time. Internationally known for the “Great Wave off Kanagawa”, Hokusai devoted his entire artistic life to capturing the movement of things, from the summit of Mount Fuji to the flight of an insect. His relentless pursuit led him to believe that artistic greatness could only be achieved with age, famously stating at 75 that he had finally “understood something,” and vowing that, if he lived to 110, he would create “divine” works.
The exhibition highlights the extraordinary modernity of Hokusai’s art, featuring original prints from the world’s most important museums. Visitors will be able to admire rare examples of the famous Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and lesser-known series, such as the One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji, as well as illustrated books, silk paintings, sketches, and the extremely rare woodblocks used for printing.
Covering Hokusai’s entire oeuvre, the exhibition allows a deep understanding of his stylistic peculiarities and the various techniques he employed, his working methods, the refined separation of colors into different blocks, his revolutionary use of the famous Prussian blue, and the different perspectives of Eastern art, often distinct from what we are accustomed to. Finally, it explores how the work of this “visionary” profoundly influenced 19th- and 20th-century Europe, giving rise to the Japonisme movement that inspired masters such as Degas, Monet, and Van Gogh.
The guided tour of the Hokusai Exhibition in Rome is enhanced with multimedia installations and thematic sections dedicated to Japanese folklore, spirituality, and its impact on art history.