Uploaded January 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Recorded on October 28, 2021
Where are the boundaries between the digital and the real? What do we lose and what do we gain when we reproduce artworks from the past using new technology? Discover how museum experts and Japanese master artisans are recreating artworks by Katsushika Hokusai, and explore the enduring legacy of the artist’s work.
The Freer Gallery of Art is home to the world’s largest collection of works by Hokusai, but according to the museum founder’s bequest, none of the artworks can leave the museum. Until now, the only way to view many of Hokusai’s great works has been to visit the Freer Gallery in person. But in 2019, the Kyoto Culture Association, in collaboration with the photography and imaging company Canon, created thirteen high-resolution facsimiles of works by Hokusai in the Freer collection for a special exhibition in Japan, where these images were displayed alongside original works by the artist. Join curator Frank Feltens in conversation with Japanese heritage expert Kenshi Ohkubo to explore how advanced technology is revolutionizing the arts and is creating cultural experiences that would otherwise be impossible.
Frank Feltens is the associate curator of Japanese art at the Freer and Sackler. He is a specialist in Japanese art with a focus on the late medieval and early modern periods, including Japanese photography and the intersections between painting and ceramics. He is the curator of the exhibition Hokusai: Mad about Painting, currently on view in select galleries in the Freer.
Kenshi Ohkubo is a representative of the Kyoto Culture Association working on cultural heritage projects, including the Tsuzuri Project in collaboration with Canon.
#Hokusai
Recorded on October 28, 2021
Where are the boundaries between the digital and the real? What do we lose and what do we gain when we reproduce artworks from the past using new technology? Discover how museum experts and Japanese master artisans are recreating artworks by Katsushika Hokusai, and explore the enduring legacy of the artist’s work.
The Freer Gallery of Art is home to the world’s largest collection of works by Hokusai, but according to the museum founder’s bequest, none of the artworks can leave the museum. Until now, the only way to view many of Hokusai’s great works has been to visit the Freer Gallery in person. But in 2019, the Kyoto Culture Association, in collaboration with the photography and imaging company Canon, created thirteen high-resolution facsimiles of works by Hokusai in the Freer collection for a special exhibition in Japan, where these images were displayed alongside original works by the artist. Join curator Frank Feltens in conversation with Japanese heritage expert Kenshi Ohkubo to explore how advanced technology is revolutionizing the arts and is creating cultural experiences that would otherwise be impossible.
Frank Feltens is the associate curator of Japanese art at the Freer and Sackler. He is a specialist in Japanese art with a focus on the late medieval and early modern periods, including Japanese photography and the intersections between painting and ceramics. He is the curator of the exhibition Hokusai: Mad about Painting, currently on view in select galleries in the Freer.
Kenshi Ohkubo is a representative of the Kyoto Culture Association working on cultural heritage projects, including the Tsuzuri Project in collaboration with Canon.
#Hokusai
