“What if Cats Exhibition” [Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art]

The “What if Cat Exhibition” will be held at the Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art from 2024/12/19 (Thu) to 2024/2/9 (Sun).



In modern subculture, anthropomorphic expressions that express animals and swords in human form have become standard, but cat characters stand out above all else.

Actually, 150 years ago, there was a time when anthropomorphic cats were overwhelmingly popular. The anthropomorphic pictorial expression itself was already seen in the Heian period, and it became frequent from the Muromachi period to the Edo period, but there aren't many examples of works where cats play the leading role.

However, in toy paintings from the Meiji period, cats appear as the main characters in anthropomorphic characters as a matter of course. What happened to the world of anthropomorphic expression leading up to the Meiji era?

The reason for this is Ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Utagawa Wakuyoshi).

In the late Edo period, Kuniyoshi's ukiyo-e, which personified cats, was a big hit. If you get it in his hands, not only will he draw cats like humans, but on the contrary, famous human people have even transformed into cats and turtles. This is where Kuniyoshi was innovative, and it can be said that he is the one who expanded the world of anthropomorphic expression.

In this exhibition, we will introduce anthropomorphic expressions from the Edo period, particularly cat expressions and Utagawa Kuniyoshi's influence on them, in 131 works by artists other than Kuniyoshi.