Blog

From murals in London to postage stamps in Japan, Hokusai’s Great Wave (Under the Wave off Kanagawa) is one of the most recognizable works in the history of art. In its ubiquity, the image has become a shorthand for many things–not only for Japanese art or Japan, but also more abstractly, as an unstoppable force, a crashing cultural wave. But what is overlooked in the shadow of the wave?

Ronin Gallery invites you to step into the theatrical world of 18th-century kabuki. Katsukawa: Early Masters of Kabuki Portraiture presents the brightest stars of the kabuki stage through the eyes of the artists of the Katsukawa School. Named for its founder, Shunsho Katsukawa, this artistic lineage redefined the field of actor prints (yakusha-e) in the late 18th century.

Ronin Gallery invites you to consider modern “pictures of beautiful women” with fresh eyes. Featuring the work of renowned artists such as Goyo, Kotondo, and Shinsui, this exhibition looks beyond nostalgic appeal to explore these prints as vital reflections of their cultural context.

Learn about the forty year history of the Ronin Gallery and the making of our new home at Bryant Park Place.

In celebration of the grand opening of our new gallery at Bryant Park Place, Ronin Gallery is pleased to present a carefully curated collection of Japanese woodblock prints in Iconic: Images of the Floating World. From Hokusai’s Great Wave to Kuniyoshi’s Skeleton Specter, this exhibition presents an unprecedented opportunity to experience some of the most influential designs of ukiyo-e together in a single exhibition.

Kuniyoshi embraced a phantasmagoria of the fierce, frightening, and the fantastic. In the exhibition Kuniyoshi: The Masterpieces, Ronin Gallery explores the ravenous imagination and unmatched skill of Kuniyoshi through masterpiece designs.

Wrestling the Demon: Noriko and Ushio Shinohara explores decades of printmaking within two storied careers—Noriko and Ushio Shinohara.

From unique woodblock prints to vivacious ink paintings, the second annual Contemporary Talents of Japan exhibition explores Japan's diverse artistic vanguard. Featuring Katsutoshi Yuasa, the 2017 winner of the Ronin|Globus Artist-in-Residence Program, this exhibition considers an enduring aesthetic in the contemporary imagination.

Winding along the eastern coast of Japan, the Tokaido was the most traveled road of the Edo period. Cutting across rivers and mountains, this artery pulsed with folklore, politics, artistic inspiration, and insatiable zeal for adventure.

Munakata and the Disciples of Buddha invites you to experience the woodblock prints of Shiko Munakata (1903–1975) and to discover the Buddhist roots of Japanese woodblock printing. Culminating in his iconic series Ten Great Disciples of the Buddha, this exhibition explores the vital interplay of artistic tradition and religious practice behind Munakata’s groundbreaking work.

In his second New York exhibition, Sebastian Masuda invites his viewer to trade the grayscale of daily life for a movingly vibrant spectrum of color. Through dynamic multimedia collages, this truly immersive exhibition extols Masuda's message of "colorful rebellion" against the gray, dark, and disharmony of the world.

From masterworks of ukiyo-e, to Toulouse-Lautrec's large-scale posters and Le Café Concert set, the exhibition Demimonde: The Floating World and Toulouse-Lautrec invites you to explore the parallel demimondes of fin-de-siècle Paris and Edo-period Japan.

Held in conjunction with the inaugural Ronin|Globus Artist-in-Residence Program, the exhibition The Great Wave: Images to Support Japan Society's Japan Earthquake Relief Fund spans a wide range of media and mindsets. Featuring Keisuke "OZ" Yamaguchi, this exhibition presents diverse reactions to defining moments in contemporary life: Japan's recent earthquakes and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Ronin Gallery is pleased to represent the private collection of the Mori family estate in the exhibition Yoshitoshi Mori (1898–1992). From kappazuri-e and woodblock prints, to the artist’s sketchbook and select original paintings, this exhibition explores the diverse oeuvre of this pivotal member of the Japanese sosaku hanga, or “new print,” movement. Many pieces in this unique collection are one-of-a-kind.

Before the Great Wave crested white and Red Fuji broke the horizon, Hokusai's petite masterpieces whispered their intricate detail with an enchanting intimacy. Ronin Gallery is pleased to present a collection of these early works, dating between 1790 and 1822.

Ronin Contemporary is pleased to present Ban Hua: Chinese Woodblock Prints Post-1980, an exhibition exploring some of China's most exciting contemporary printmakers. The works on view come both from an important European collection and straight from the studio of the innovative artist Gu Zhijun.

Taboo: Ukiyo-e and the Japanese Tattoo explores the verboten world of irezumi (Japanese tattoo) across history and medium. The works of ukiyo-e masters Kuniyoshi, Yoshitoshi, Kunisada and Kunichika celebrate the world of tattoo during the Edo and Meiji periods, while the original paintings and drawings of the acclaimed master of tebori and tattoo art, Horiyoshi III, offers a current interpretation of the centuries-old tradition.

Ronin Gallery is pleased to present a curated selection of seven of the most exciting ink artists in China today. Working in a rapidly changing society, each artist plants his or her roots deep within the spiritual, material and expressive past of ink, color and paper. From the ethereal to the vibrant, these artists present a contemporary understanding of a timeless spirit.