SAAM – Saturday University

The scope, techniques, and creativity of Japanese printmaking expanded throughout the 20th century, fueled by the talents of a young postwar generation of artists. Bolstered by international encounters—including new art galleries, dealers, and English-language publications—Japanese prints found especially eager audiences among American collectors. Today, North American institutions and private collections hold extensive and often deep collections of modern Japanese prints, yet many of these artists are relatively unknown. This lecture focuses on the untold stories of women artists who were among those drawn to the expressive potential of the medium in the early 1950s.

Jeannie Kenmotsu, Ph.D., is the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Asian Art at the Portland Art Museum. She is a specialist in the art of early modern Japan, with a focus on painting, illustrated books, and prints. Other interests include contemporary Asian art, the international reception of Japanese prints, and creative practices of the diaspora. Her research has been supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Japan Foundation, and Blakemore Foundation, among others. Dr. Kenmotsu is a Senior Fellow of the Andrew W. Mellon Society of Fellows in Critical Bibliography at Rare Book School and a board member of the Japanese Art Society of America. She is currently organizing the first major museum retrospective of the artist Yoshida Chizuko (1924–2017).