Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print
Friday 27 February 2026 – Sunday 30 August 2026

Included in general admission to York Art Gallery

Opening 27 February 2026, York Art Gallery’s next major exhibition, Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print features over 100 striking and iconic works dating from the 17th to 21st centuries from York Art Gallery’s extensive collection and  incredible loans from regional and national institutions.

Expect to see early printed books from the British Library, stunning kimonos from Durham Oriental Museum, and a mesmerising selection of prints from the British Museum and Maidstone Museum, including Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic The Great Wave off Kanagawa, one of the most recognisable and celebrated artworks in the world.

Making Waves explores the development of Japanese woodblock printing, revealing its origins and techniques alongside the influence of nature, society and cultural change on this art form, with a special focus on the heyday of Japanese woodblock printing in the 18th and 19th centuries, when artists such as Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige produced vibrant and technically advanced images showcasing Japanese culture. These bold and evocative works often reflected events and fluctuations in Japanese society with dynamic designs that have remained popular centuries later and captured the imaginations of generations worldwide.

The exhibition also extends into the York Museum Gardens, as an exciting new Japanese-style garden, or ‘karesansui’, will start to take shape over the coming months. With a range of different works, objects, exciting loans and interactive opportunities, Making Waves is an exhibition not to be missed.

A lively programme of events, designed to promote creativity and wellbeing, will accompany the exhibition. Further details of the programme will be announced on the Events page in due course.

Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print, will run from 27 February 2026 to 30 August 2026 and will be included in general admission to York Art Gallery.