Freer, galleries 5–8

The Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) is widely recognized for a single image—Great Wave Off the Coast of Kanagawa, an icon of global art—yet he produced thousands of works throughout his long life. Charles Lang Freer recognized the artist’s vast abilities before many other collectors, and he assembled the world’s largest collection of paintings, sketches, and drawings by Hokusai. In commemoration of the centennial of Freer’s death in 1919, the Freer Gallery presents a yearlong exploration of the prolific career of Katsushika Hokusai.

Works large and small are on view, from six-panel folding screens and hanging scrolls to paintings and drawings. Also included are rare hanshita-e, drawings for woodblock prints that were adhered to the wood and frequently destroyed in the process of carving the block prior to printing. Among the many featured works are Hokusai’s manga, his often-humorous renderings of everyday life in Japan. Together, these works reveal an artistic genius who thought he might finally achieve true mastery in painting—if he lived to the age of 110.

Reviews & Press

See what “WETA Around Town” says about Hokusai: Mad about Painting

Read Philip Kennicott’s Washington Post review “Even a year’s worth of Hokusai may not be enough to display his genius” (subscription required)

Generous support for Hokusai: Mad about Painting and the museum’s Japanese art program is provided by



Anne van Biema Endowment Fund