Modern and Contemporary Movements in Japanese Art

“Like Christianity, Modernism and the concept of avant-garde art are Western ideas that Japan received from abroad.”

This study group will explore some of the major movements and trends in Japanese Modern and Contemporary art. Dividing the lecture into three sections, we will first explore prewar, 20th century movements that gave shape to what we now can see as Japanese Modernism. The second section will look at the post-war period and the movements that emerged in reaction to the cultural and social challenges of the 1950s-1980s. In the final section we will explore some of the major artists forming and leading the Contemporary art movement today.



Robert Mintz is the Chief Curatorial Director / Chief Curator at the Asian Art Museum. In his position, he oversees the curatorial research and exhibitions programs, and he guides the growth, preservation, and presentation of the museum’s art collections. Rob is a specialist in Edo period Japanese art history with a keen interest in literati paintings and the decorative arts. With degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Washington, he has spent his career working in public art museums previously serving as a researcher at the Seattle Art Museum, and later as curator of Asian Art and Chief Curator at the Walters Art Museum.


This study group consists of a morning session and an afternoon session. Please note that lunch is not included in the registration fee. Attendees can purchase lunch in the museum café, and are welcome to bring food into the Koret Education Center.