- Lecturer: Donatella Failla, Director, Museo Chiossone, Genoa, Italy
- Date: Friday, January 11, 2013, 7:00 pm-
- Venue: Lecture Hall, International House of Japan
- Language: English (without Japanese interpretation)
- Admission: Free (reservations required)
Edoardo Chiossone (1833-1898) is well known as a creator of modern Japan’s political imagerie, that is, the official portraits of public figures of the period, including the emperor and empress, and important bureaucrats. Invited by the Printing Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Finance, he came to Japan in 1875 after a thorough professional career in Italy, Germany and Great Britain. Chiossone introduced to Japan new techniques of plate engraving and industrial machinery, and authored the banknotes, stamps and paper values issued by the Printing Bureau between 1875 and 1891. Devoting himself to bridging Europe and Japan during the Meiji era, Chiossone, a collector of Japanese and Chinese art, greatly contributed to the internationalization of Japanese art in close association with government figures and a number of contemporary artists. In this lecture, Dr. Failla will talk about his life, works and the implications of his legacy for the future of Euro-Japan cultural relations.
Donatella Failla
Donatella Failla is the Director of the ‘Edoardo Chiossone’ Museum of Japanese Art in Genoa, Italy, and teaches the History of Eastern Asian Art at the University of Genoa. She earned her Ph.D. in Oriental Studies from the University of Rome in 1980. During her time at the ‘Edoardo Chiossone’ Museum, she has organized over 20 exhibitions and authored over 170 publications in various languages. Currently she is in Japan at the Art Research Center (ARC) of Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, on a Japan Foundation Research Fellowship.