At a time when a strict social hierarchy regulated most aspects of the samurai and townsmen’s lives, the floating world provided an escape. Both a state of mind and a locale, the term “floating world” refers to the diversions available in the brothel districts and Kabuki theaters of Edo, a city whose population approached a million by the end of the 17th century. The floating world’s rise to prominence gave birth to an outpouring of new artistic production, in the form of paintings and woodblock prints that advertised celebrity courtesans, attracted potential patrons and guided them through the pleasure quarter.

The exhibition’s centerpiece is one such guide: A Visit to the Yoshiwara, by Hishikawa Moronobu (d. 1694). This grand, almost-58-foot-long handscroll painting takes viewers on an imaginative virtual tour of Edo’s licensed pleasure quarter, its exacting etiquette, famous brothels and chic fashions. The sensory experiences described in the handscroll—food, drink, dance and sexual encounters—are echoed elsewhere in the exhibition in paintings, serving vessels and textiles from the Weber collection.

Other exhibition highlights include 18th-century paintings and prints of courtesans by some of Japan’s most important artists: Katsukawa Shunsh? (d. 1792), Kitagawa Utamaro (1754–1806), Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) and Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861). These artworks demonstrate how artists used fashion, promises of intimacy, and disguise to stimulate desire and lure potential customers.
 
Seduction will be shown alongside a complementary exhibition, The Printer’s Eye: Ukiyo-e from the Grabhorn Collection, which focuses on the artistic achievements of Edo-period (1615–1868) printmakers.
 
Organized by the Asian Art Museum, Seduction is curated by Dr. Laura Allen, curator of Japanese art.
 
The exhibition is on view Feb. 20–May 10, 2015. The Asian Art Museum will serve as the only venue for the exhibition.  
 
Presentation at the Asian Art Museum is made possible with the generous support of Hiro Ogawa and The Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Fund for Excellence in Exhibitions and Presentations. 

ABOUT THE ASIAN ART MUSEUM
The Asian Art Museum–Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture is one of San Francisco's premier arts institutions and home to a world-renowned collection of more than 18,000 Asian art treasures spanning 6,000 years of history. Through rich art experiences, centered on historic and contemporary artworks, the Asian Art Museum unlocks the past for visitors, bringing it to life while serving as a catalyst for new art, new creativity and new thinking.
 
 
Hours: The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 AM to 5 PM, with extended spring and summer evening hours on Thursdays until 9 PM. Closed Mondays, as well as New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
 
General Admission: FREE for museum members, $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (65+), college students with ID, and youths (13–17). For seniors, students with ID, and youth (13–17), admission will be $10. FREE for children under 12 and SFUSD students with ID. General admission on Thursdays after 5 PM is $5 for all visitors (except those under 12, SFUSD students, and museum members, who are always admitted FREE). General admission is FREE to all on Target First Free Sundays (the first Sunday of every month). A surcharge may apply for admission to special exhibitions.

ASIAN ART MUSEUM
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, California 94102
+1 (415) 581-3500
asianart.org‎