NEW YORK, NY.- Erik Thomsen Gallery announces its exhibition during Asia Week, Taishō Period Screens and Scrolls & Porcelain Sculpture by Sueharu Fukami, featuring a dozen folding screens and hanging scrolls from the Taishō and early Shōwa periods, 1910-1935, a time of great change in Japan and its vibrant arts scene. Superb art works were made for the domestic market, which was a notable change from the export-oriented output during the Meiji period. Though artists of the Taishō and Shōwa periods typically remained focused on traditional themes, the works often show influences from the West and experimentations with new materials and perspectives. And artists became more competitive: they strived to have works exhibited at one of the prestigious annual national exhibitions, and these showpieces were generally oversized to stand out in the large exhibition halls.

One such over-sized work is Vying Peacocks by Ishizaki Kōyō (1884-1947), a pair of six-panel screens which span almost 32 feet. The dramatic painting in mineral colors, gold and silver is on a silk ground backed by gold leaf. The extravagant technique, called urahaku, came into being during the Taishō-early Shōwa periods.

The gallery exhibition also presents six contemporary abstract porcelain sculptures by the acclaimed Japanese ceramic artist Sueharu Fukami, three horizontal and three vertical works. A new work by Fukami, his largest work to date and standing almost two-meters tall, is currently on view in the Japanese gallery of the Metropolitan Museum.

Please note that the gallery has special hours during Asia Week. The exhibition opens today, March 13, and will be open daily through Saturday March 23 from 10 am to 6 pm, including Sunday March 17. The exhibition continues after Asia Week, from March 25 to April 19, Mondays through Fridays 11 am - 5 pm.