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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 4, 2006

PRESS CONTACT:   
Andrea Potochniak
607 254-4563
arp37@cornell.edu

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art Presents
Japanese Poetry Prints:
Surimono from the Schoff Collection
First exhibition outside of Japan
of 19th-century limited edition woodblock prints
from the collection of Cornell alumna

Ithaca, NY—The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University presents Japanese Poetry Prints: Surimono from the Schoff Collection, on view from January 14 to March 19, 2006.

Surimono, which can be translated as “printed thing,” were privately produced, limited edition woodblock prints commissioned by poetry groups to be distributed among friends for special occasions, often the lunar New Year. The artwork and poetry on the prints were the result of unique collaborations between poets, artists, calligraphers, and printers.

This exhibition presents superb examples from the early nineteenth century, considered the peak of surimono production, from the collection of Joanna Haab Schoff (Cornell Class of 1955). Forty-six surimono from the Schoff collection were previously exhibited at the Ota Museum of Art in Tokyo in 2000. The Johnson Museum exhibition will feature over seventy prints, both from the Ota exhibition and others never exhibited before.

“The Schoffs lived in Japan in the 1950s and began to learn about and admire Japanese art,” said Ellen Avril, curator of Asian art and chief curator of the Johnson Museum. “After returning to the US, they first collected Toulouse-Lautrec prints and were led by the Japanese influence on late nineteenth-century French art to seek out Japanese woodblock prints. The elegance and technical sophistication of surimono, along with the literary wit conveyed, especially appealed to Joanna, and her passionate collecting of surimono was underway.”

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue by Cornell PhD candidate and guest curator Daniel McKee, who will lead a tour of the exhibition as part of the Museum’s “Art for Lunch” series on Thursday, January 26 at 12:00 noon.

The Johnson Museum has a permanent collection of over 30,000 works of art from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. The museum building was designed by I. M. Pei. Funds for the building were donated by Cornell alumnus Herbert F. Johnson, late president and chairman of S C Johnson. The building opened in 1973.

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The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, located on the campus of Cornell University, is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. The Museum is completely accessible for mobility-impaired visitors, and a wheelchair is available in the lobby. Metered parking is available in the lot next to the Museum. For more information, please call 607 255-6464. Visit the Museum’s website at  www.museum.cornell.edu. The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art is a proud member of Ithaca’s Discovery Trail: www.DiscoveryTrail.com.

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