Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889) was one of the most important Japanese painters of the 19th century, although he has been overlooked for decades, especially compared to his early counterparts, Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige. His witty, energetic, and imaginative work is now being rediscovered and celebrated, with its influence felt strongly in numerous artistic styles today, from manga to tattoos.

In this webinar, Rebecca Salter, the 27th President of the Royal Academy of Arts, will talk about the RA’s historical involvement with Japan and will discuss Kyosai’s life and works with Koto Sadamura, curator of the current RA exhibition, Kyōsai: The Israel Goldman Collection.

About the contributors

Rebecca Salter studied at Bristol Polytechnic and then at Kyoto City University of the Arts in Japan. During her six years living in Japan, she studied traditional Japanese woodblock printing and has subsequently written two books on the subject. Salter was elected as a Royal Academician in December 2014 and, in June 2017, was elected as the Keeper of the Royal Academy. On 10th December 2019 she was elected the 27th President of the Royal Academy of Arts and is first female President since the Academy was founded in 1768.

Dr Sadamura Koto is an art historian specialising in Japanese art of the late 19th century. She has published extensively on the Japanese painter Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889). She is a Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow (2021-2022) at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures and a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Asia, the British Museum (since 2016).