Rovigo Exhibition Maps Japonism's Influence on European Art

A comprehensive exhibition at Palazzo Roverella in Rovigo, curated by Francesco Parisi, explores the phenomenon of Japonism that swept Europe after Japan ended its isolation in 1853. The show features around 250 objects—paintings, ceramics, fans, textiles, drawings, and posters—from private collections and peripheral museums. It is organized into four geographic-chronological sections: France (the first to embrace Japanese art, spreading to Belgium and the Netherlands), England, Austria (including Germany, Bohemia, and Moravia, with Emil Orlik as a key figure), and Italy (which absorbed Japonism later, mainly through Italian artists in Paris like Giuseppe De Nittis). The exhibition highlights the role of Universal Expositions (London 1862, Paris 1867 and 1878, and the 1911 Turin exhibition) in disseminating Japanese aesthetics. Special focuses include a section on ukiyo-e prints and lacquerware curated by Rossella Menegazzo, and another by Anna Villari on Oriental style in design and posters, featuring Toulouse-Lautrec. A rare first edition of Hokusai's "The Great Wave" from 1831, lent by the Museo d'Arte Orientale Edoardo Chiossone in Genoa, is a highlight. The exhibition runs at Palazzo Roverella in Rovigo.