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Comic strip comes to the Academy
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent17 Mar 2009
The Royal Academy is preparing for an invasion by Japanese comic fans as it opens an exhibition on one of the godfathers of manga.
From Saturday the venue in Piccadilly will host more than 150 striking graphic works by the 19th-century artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi. It is the first major show on him in nearly 50 years.
Modern manga, with its instantly recognisable drawing style, developed in Japan after the Second World War. Stories cover everything from romance, adventure and satire to science fiction, fantasy and erotica, and there is manga for children, teenagers and adults.
The market in Japan alone has been estimated at £3.1billion and the genre has influenced film, music, fashion, and art across the world. But many enthusiasts see its foundations in Kuniyoshi's depictions of warriors, bandits and heroes. Timothy Clark, the RA show's curator, said: "A swathe of modern characters are these supernatural figures seen in Kuniyoshi. He is a very strong candidate for being one of the forebears of manga."
Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) was born in Edo - present-day Tokyo - the son of a silk-dyer. He became a master of the "floating world" school of art alongside Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, who have already been the subject of RA shows.
Paul Gravett, author of Manga: Sixty Years Of Japanese Comics, said there was "lots of excitement" about the show. "Manga has been slightly typecast as being violent or erotic or fantasy, but a great deal is rooted in Japanese culture and tradition. I'm sure the Academy will get a whole new audience. Kuniyoshi has an extra dynamism and is extraordinarily modern-looking."
The show will include some of his most dramatic prints, such as the anatomically accurate Great Skeleton Triptych. Kuniyoshi's work was seen as decadent, even vulgar, for many years. But, said Mr Clark: "Few artists are more exciting and original."
Most prints on show are a recent gift to the British Museum from US lawyer Arthur R Miller. Curzon Cinemas are running a complementary selection of anime - Japanese animated films.
Kuniyoshi - from the Arthur R Miller collection, supported by Canon - opens on Saturday and runs until 7 June, with admission charge.
