The Kimono in Print: 300 Years of Japanese Design

The Worcester Art Museum highlights the iconic garment and its influence on three centuries of printmaking. “Claiming the spotlight in the center of a large gallery, the “Worcester Wedding Kimono” captivates the eye with its pattern of large interlocking octagons in a variety of rich reds, spring greens and soft yellows. They are stylized maple leaves, inspired by the local landscape over different seasons—but they were not meant to be the centerpiece of “The Kimono in Print: 300 years of Japanese Design,” which explores the ways fashion and printmaking have intersected in Japan. The kimono, commissioned by and for the Worcester Art Museum, was supposed to have appeared in a concurrent show organized in conjunction with Chiso, a kimono-making workshop in Kyoto in operation since 1555.” Read more about this design history.