Hiroshige’s 100 Famous Views of Edo (feat. Takashi Murakami)

What are the must-see places in your favorite city? Where do you go when you want to get some fresh air? What makes certain neighborhoods famous? Join an insider artist on a tour of 19th-century Tokyo (then called Edo), from lumber yards to popular restaurants, and see if his selections shed light on your own relationship with the cities you know well.

For the first time in twenty-four years Hiroshige’s 100 famous views of Edo—one of the Brooklyn Museum’s greatest treasures—is once again on public display. The museum’s complete collection of these famous prints is among the finest in the world, full of vibrant colors preserved by decades in the dark.

While most presentations have focused on the technical sophistication of the prints and their influence on European artists, here we focus on their urban themes. Originally published in 1856–58, the series captures the evolving socioeconomic and environmental landscape of the city that would later become Tokyo. Through the prints and complementary objects from the museum’s collection, you will be immersed in mid-19th-century Edo and see it through the eyes of the ordinary people who populate Hiroshige’s settings. You will experience all four seasons in scenes of picnics under cherry blossoms, summer rainstorms, falling maple leaves, and winter twilights. The exhibition also includes modern photographs to show how Hiroshige’s scenes transformed into present-day Tokyo.

The artist Takashi Murakami (born 1962 in Tokyo, Japan) transfers Hiroshige’s views into a more fantastical world with a series of his own paintings. Created as a direct response to 100 famous views of EdoThese works invite us to rethink Hiroshige’s world and his contributions to global art history.

Prepare for your trip to Edo
Discover the entire series online. Experience all the senses by listening to original compositions that complement three of Hiroshige’s prints, written by Niles Luther, the Brooklyn Museum’s resident composer. Plus, enjoy a special menu in honor of the exhibition at The Norm.