During a brief window between the destruction caused by the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the calamities of the Pacific War (1942–1945), Tokyo became one of the world’s leading modern metropolises. Japan’s traditional art and aesthetics intersected with European life and culture, resulting in an optimistic and pulsating era of Japanese modernism and the creation of Asian Art Deco paintings, prints and fashion.

Japanese Modernism looks at the creative art and design of this period with a focus on the increasingly socially liberated status of Japanese women during the 1920s and 1930s, featuring rare work by highly accomplished yet under-recognised young women artists from this time.

Members and guests have the opportunity to learn about the key works on display in an exclusive Members Exhibition Introduction with NGV curators Wayne Crothers and Annika Aitken.