From March 27, Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome will host the largest exhibition ever dedicated to Katsushika Hokusai, the most important Japanese artist and a key figure in universal visual culture. This international project, created with the aim of uniting different nations and visions, was previewed on January 28 in the Sala del Refettorio of the Nilde Iotti Library of the Chamber of Deputies, demonstrating the fruitfulness of cultural dialogue between Italy and Japan.
“Two countries that are far apart but have always been united by diplomatic relations, which this year celebrate their 160th anniversary. Hokusai represents a bridge between East and West,” said Hon. Federico Mollicone, President of the VII Culture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies. “A man of great spiritual energy,” he added, “who humbly liked to describe himself as ‘an old man crazy about painting’. Hokusai taught the greatest masters of the 19th and 20th centuries a new way of looking at nature, offering a radically different artistic paradigm.”
The Japanese master, famous for masterpieces such as The Great Wave, Views of Mount Fuji, and Manga, will amaze Italian audiences with around 200 works from the National Museum in Krakow. The exhibition traces the artist’s entire creative career and includes, in addition to paintings, rare books, precious objects, travel accessories, armor, helmets, swords, and traditional costumes, offering a comprehensive overview of Japanese culture during the Edo period.
The rooms of Palazzo Bonaparte, immersed in the timeless elegance of Japan, will convey all the innovative power of an artist who profoundly influenced the Western imagination, inspiring Monet, Van Gogh, and the entire Impressionist movement, as well as composers such as Claude Debussy, defining a visual and musical model recognized throughout the world.
Hokusai was and still is a bridge between the Eastern and Western worlds, the artist who, more than any other, has enabled a profound and lasting cultural dialogue between two artistic traditions that continue to influence and enrich each other.
In a time marked by global conflicts and divisions, art remains the last bastion of beauty, dialogue, and growth. “Wars do not spare archives and libraries: we should remember that diamonds of European culture are hidden in the ashes of fires,” emphasized the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Italy, highlighting the importance of cultivating interest in other cultures.
This high-profile international artistic initiative aims to offer the public a deeper understanding of Japanese culture through the paintings and engravings of an artist who was as eccentric as he was meticulous. Hokusai’s works, characterized by their extremely refined technique, were intended for a cultured and high-level clientele, and still retain their extraordinary visual and symbolic power today.
Among the authorities present at the presentation conference were Hayashi Yujiro, deputy head of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Italy, and Beata Romanowicz, curator of the exhibition.
