A major new Katsushika Hokusai exhibition is opening in London next month

Name the most famous Japanese print of all time, and chances are you’d pick The Great Wave. Also known as Under the Wave, off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki name-ura), the print designed by Katsushika Hokusai in about 1831 depicts Mount Fuji dwarfed by a huge wave. The iconic image is part of the series, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in the history of printmaking, embracing vivid pigments and ukiyo-e woodblock techniques, all centred around one of Japan’s most sacred mountains. It inspired artists around the world, most notably Impressionist painters like Claude Monet, and remains one of the most recognisable scenes in art history. 

This winter, Dulwich Picture Gallery is giving Londoners a chance to see the images in all their glory, in its new blockbuster exhibition: Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Rarely seen outside of Japan in its entirety, the exhibition marks the first time in the UK that the complete set of 46 prints (the original 36, plus the 10 expanded works) from the renowned Iuchi Collection have been brought together. 

Created between 1830 and 1833 when Hokusai was in his seventies, the unprecedented collection of prints will be an awe-inspiring look at one of history’s most influential series of works, spotlighting their incredible use of colour, humorous storytelling and unconventional perspectives. 

The exhibition highlights include an exceptionally rare blue impression of the normally full-colour work, Clear Day with a Southern Breeze, known as Blue Fuji, of which only seven comparable impressions are known to survive today, as well as three well-preserved prints of The Great Wave. Displayed in their entirety, they will give visitors a chance to compare subtle variations in printing in these early impressions.

Professor Higuchi Kazutaka of Jumonji University, in collaboration with exhibition partner The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, said: ‘This exhibition presents an exceptionally rare opportunity outside Japan to view together a complete set of Katsushika Hokusai's masterwork, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, of well-preserved early impressions. We are delighted to offer visitors the chance to experience Hokusai’s extraordinary creative genius firsthand and the remarkable technical excellence of ukiyo-e woodblock printing.’

Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji from the Iuchi Collection will be on display at Dulwich Picture Gallery between October 20, 2026 and January 17, 2027. Tickets are available to buy from the gallery’s website. 

In other art and exhibition news, read our review as The Bayeux Tapestry goes on display at the British Museum. 

Plus, why the Royal Academy is Time Out’s favourite London art gallery right now.

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