In 1853, Japan was forced by foreign powers to reopen its international trade ports after more than two centuries of isolation. Works of art from the country soon flowed into Europe; in France, they found immense popularity and became a fresh source of inspiration for ceramic artists and decorators such as Félix Bracquemond and Théodore Deck. Thanks to a recent donation from a private collector, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is now staging an exhibition focused on ‘Japonisme’ – France’s craze for Japanese art – and its influence on French ceramics, covering a 50-year period from 1860 to 1910 (31 August–26 May 2025). The exhibition not only demonstrates French artists’ attempts to imitate complex Japanese glazing techniques, but also captures their enthusiastic adoption of Japanese iconography, from depictions of cranes to Hokusai-inspired waves.
Find out more from the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary
Plate (c. 1874), Albert-Louis Dammouse. Philadelphia Museum of Art
Platter from the ‘Rousseau’ Service (1866–75), Félix-Joseph-Auguste Bracquemond. Philadelphia Museum of Art
Plate with Blue Flowers and Cabbage Leaves (c. 1879), Félix-Joseph-Auguste Bracquemond. Philadelphia Museum of Art