Making Waves: The art of Japanese woodblock print

Speakers: Oleg Benesch, Helena Cox and Eleanor Jackson

York Art Gallery’s latest exhibition, Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print, explores over 300 years of printmaking in Japan. With over 100 colourful works on display, this exhibition combines prints from York Art Gallery’s collection with a wide range of exciting loans. Highlights include an original print of Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa, as well as a full set of samurai armour.

Dig deeper into the themes of the exhibition with this special event celebrating Japanese art and history. Taking the exhibition as a starting point, our speakers - Eleanor Jackson of York Art Gallery and Helena Cox and Oleg Benesch of the University of York - share some of their favourite objects on display and explore the histories behind them.

Join us for a look into the fascinating world of artists, courtesans, kabuki actors, samurai and, of course, Great Waves.

The exhibition, Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print, is on display at York Art Gallery until 30 August 2026.

Image credit: Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave, 1831. Courtesy of Maidstone Museum.

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Host or Publisher York Festival of Ideas