Press Preview: Japanese Prints at York Art Gallery 26 February
Monday, 9th February 2026
Press Preview Invitation
Join us at the Press Preview for the unveiling of ‘Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print’ at York Art Gallery.
When: Thursday 26 February, 9am to 12 noon.
Where: York Art Gallery, Exhibition Square, York, YO1 7EW. York Art Gallery
Why: ‘Making Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print’ will take centre stage at York Art Gallery from 27 February to 30 August 2026 in a stunning display of Japanese art and culture. This groundbreaking exhibition will offer visitors the chance to see Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’, one of the most recognisable and celebrated artworks in the world. It will be displayed alongside over 100 striking and iconic works spanning more than 300 years of Japanese woodblock printing history, from the 17th to the 21st centuries. The exhibition will combine major loans with beautiful prints from York Art Gallery's collection, including a print recently acquired thanks to a grant from the Friends of York Art Gallery. This extraordinary print by Hashimoto Chikanobu, showing the female samurai warriors who protected the court women of Edo Castle, is on public display for the very first time.
Who: Meet Eleanor Jackson, Curator of Fine Art, who curated the exhibition on behalf of York Art Gallery, and members of the team who will be providing community and education opportunities in association with the exhibition.
Please ensure your name is on the list ahead of joining us. Please note public car parking is available on Bootham Row Car Park or on Marygate Car Park.
For further details and to secure attendance, please contact Kendra Grahame-Clarke on 07910 214474 or email kendra@kendrapr.co.uk. For more information on York Art Gallery go to: www.yorkartgallery.org.uk
About York Art Gallery
Supported by Arts Council England.
York Art Gallery’s collection of paintings spans more than 600 years and works range from 14th-century Italian panels and 17th-century Dutch masterpieces to Victorian narrative paintings and 20th century works by LS Lowry and David Hockney. The Gallery also holds the most extensive and representative collection of British Studio Ceramics, thanks to the acquisition of collections from Dean Milner–White, WA Ismay and Henry Rothschild and the long term loan of Anthony Shaw’s collection. Highlights are on show in the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA). The Gallery and its collections are cared for by the charity York Museums Trust, established in 2002.