A remarkable new exhibition at the British Museum, opening in May, will celebrate the life, work, and legacy of Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), one of Japan’s most popular and prolific artists. Hiroshige’s thoughtful and engaging way of depicting landscape, nature and daily life in Japan captivated viewers in his own day, and he continues to influence and inspire.
The first exhibition on Hiroshige in London for quarter of a century, and the first ever at the British Museum, Hiroshige: artist of the open road will present this major Japanese artist through his prints, paintings, books and sketches. The great majority of the prints in the exhibition have never been displayed before, and several are believed to be the only surviving examples of their kind in the world.
The exhibition marks a major gift of 35 Hiroshige prints to the American Friends of the British Museum from the collection of Alan Medaugh, a leading US collector of the artist’s work. These will be shown alongside 82 other stunning prints by Hiroshige, generously loaned by Medaugh, as well as key national and international loans, and important works chosen from the Museum collection.
Utagawa Hiroshige’s 40-year career coincided with the last decades of Japan’s Edo period (1615–1868), a time of rapid change presaging the end of samurai rule. As Japan confronted the encroaching outside world and the pressures of modernisation, Hiroshige’s calm artistic vision encouraged a sense of continuity and hope. Across around 5000 designs for colour woodblock prints, as well as hundreds of paintings and dozens of illustrated books, he offered aesthetic pleasure and emotional solace to people at every level of society in an age of transformation.
From fashionable figures in his early career, to quiet city views, remote landscapes and impressions of nature in his mature years, Hiroshige captured many aspects of life in contemporary Japan. A superb colourist, he discovered a subtle lyricism in the experience of travel, and a bond between people and the natural world. In landscape series such as the Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Highway (1833–35), he expressed the growing interest in domestic travel, devoting more than 20 series to this one highway alone.
Twenty years later with renewed vigour in the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (1856–58), he boldly expanded the classical concept of ‘famous places’ (meisho). His landscape prints became treasured souvenirs and vehicles for imaginative escape. They were not strict representations of place but evocations in which he blended direct observation and study of guidebooks with artistic flair and cultural resonance.
A full section of the exhibition explores Hiroshige’s main travel series and presents some of the finest surviving examples of major designs from the One Hundred Views, along with pristine examples of less-familiar designs from this series.
Possessed of outstanding technical skills as both a colourist and draftsman, Hiroshige stands out also for crossing social boundaries. Born into a samurai family, he chose to create accessible art for a popular audience. His inclusive vision is evident in his designs for hand-held printed fans (uchiwa-e), a practical, affordable and disposable art form that served to find a place for beauty in daily life. This aspect of his work is seldom exhibited outside Japan and will comprise one of the main sections of the exhibition. Unique examples, such as from the series Eight Views of Stations along the Main and Secondary Roads (about 1839), will be on display for the first time.
Also on show are Hiroshige’s exquisite bird-and-flower prints produced throughout his career which reflect both his natural artistic elegance and the relatively high level of literacy reached during the period, as they often include a Japanese or Chinese poem inscribed in flowing calligraphy. Signalling an appreciation for art shared across social classes, they highlight the profound connections in Japanese culture between nature, art and poetry.
As well as exploring Hiroshige’s diverse strengths, this exhibition considers his global legacy and how his innovative compositions, vibrant colours and deep understanding of pictorial perspective have inspired European masters such as Van Gogh and Whistler, as well as contemporary artists worldwide, including Julian Opie. Hiroshige: artist of the open roadoffers audiences a vivid insight into Hiroshige’s own world, where nature, culture, and imagination effortlessly coincide, and reinforces his place as an artistic visionary of international standing.
To coincide with the exhibition, a beautifully illustrated hardcover catalogue, Hiroshige: artist of the open road, written by Alfred Haft and including an essay by Capucine Korenberg, will be published by the British Museum Press in May 2025. It will be available alongside a huge range of other books about Hiroshige from the British Museum shop, and from all good bookshops.
Alfred Haft is JTI Project Curator for Japanese Collections and Curator of the exhibition Hiroshige at the British Museum. Previous publications include Salon culture in Japan: making art, 1750–1900 (contributor, 2024), Late Hokusai: Society, Thought, Technique, Legacy (contributor, 2023), Hokusai: beyond the Great Wave (contributor, 2017) and Aesthetic Strategies of the Floating World (author, 2012).
“It is an honour to share Hiroshige’s serene vision of Japan’s landscape through superb works from Alan Medaugh’s oustanding collection,” said Alfred Haft, JTI Project Curator for the Japanese Collections. “In the unsettled last decades of samurai rule, Hiroshige’s sense of calm and balance captured the imagination of his contemporaries at every level of society, and it remains a source of inspiration today.’
Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the British Museum, comments: “Hiroshige’s remarkable prints immortalise the unique beauty and culture of Japan, seamlessly blending emotional depth with technical brilliance. His influence endures across generations and continues to shape artists worldwide. I am hugely grateful to Mr Alan Medaugh for his generosity to the Museum. Without his support, this remarkable exhibition would not have been possible.”
A leading US collector, Alan Medaugh has generously gifted 35 prints by Hiroshige to the American Friends of the British Museum and loaned a further 82 for the exhibition. The 35 gifted prints will remain in the care of the British Museum once the exhibition closes.
“To me this exhibition at the British Museum is the best way to keep Hiroshige’s art alive,” says Alan, who without his generosity, this major exhibition would not be possible. “Hiroshige’s artistic strength is the use of colour to transmit feelings which sadly become more fugitive over the years. I have had the privilege of collecting Hiroshige’s works for over 50 years and it is my sincere hope that by sharing these pieces I can help reveal the timeless beauty and depth of his artistry.’
American Friends of the British Museum was founded in 1989 and since then has contributed to a wide range of programmes and projects at the Museum.
• Hiroshige: artist of the open road will run from 01 May – 07 September 2025 in the Joseph Hotung Great Court Gallery at the British Museum | For more information, visit the exhibition webpage: britishmuseum.org/hiroshige
Visitor information: Open Saturday to Thursday 10.00–17.00, Friday 10.00–20.30. Early bird tickets available from £14, under-16s free when accompanied by a paying adult, 2-for-1 tickets for students on Fridays, and concessions and group rates available.
For conservation reasons, to preserve the light-sensitive colours of the works available for Hiroshige: artist of the open road, there will be a display rotation halfway through the run. The new works will substitute similar ones and will not affect the exhibition’s story. The exhibition will be closed from 30 June to 4 July for this rotation to take place.
• Hiroshige: artist of the open road, written by Alfred Haft and including an essay by Capucine Korenberg, will be published by the British Museum Press in May 2025. Hardback, £40, ISBN 9780714137001 | Available alongside other books about Hiroshige from the British Museum shop | AmazonUK Affiliate Link
Utagawa Hiroshige (personal art name Hiroshige) was born in Edo (now Tokyo) in 1797, originally named Andō Tokutarō (personal name Tokutarō). He began his artistic training under Utagawa Toyohiro (personal name Toyohiro) and developed unrivalled skill in depicting landscapes. He is renowned for his innovative compositions and subtle use of graded ink tones (bokashi). Following a career spanning more than four decades, he died on the 12 October, 1858, perhaps the victim of a cholera epidemic in Edo.
Bokashi (gradation or shading), an effect achieved in the printing process by the controlled application of ink to the woodblock.
Meisho (‘famous place’) denotes a location renowned for its beauty, historical significance, or cultural importance. The term indicates scenic spots or landmarks referenced in poetry, travelogues, classical art and ukiyo-e.
Uchiwa-e (‘uchiwa pictures’) refers to fan prints in popular Japanese art, specifically ukiyo-e. They are woodblock prints designed to be pasted to a rigid bamboo frame. Unlike folding fans (ōgi), uchiwa are non-collapsible. They have a variety of practical and decorative uses.
Ukiyo-e is a genre of popular Japanese art that flourished from the 17th to the 19th century during the Edo period. The term translates to ‘pictures of the floating world’ and reflects the urban culture of Edo (modern Tokyo) and other cities at the time. Ukiyo-e artists created woodblock prints, paintings and illustrated books depicting a wide range of subjects.
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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Love Hiroshige (and have copies of some of those pictures on my wall). If I wasn’t in NZ I might well go along to that. Maybe my daughter, currently at UCL, will. I’ll let her know, thanks!