An ideal combination of function and beauty, Japanese folding screens, or byōbu ("wind wall"), have inspired generations of artists to create career-defining masterpieces; indeed, screens represent some of the highest accomplishments of Japanese painting. This exhibition showcases forty-one large scale examples from the esteemed collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and Saint Louis Art Museum, celebrating the full range of the format in various media including traditional paper and silk as well as stoneware and varnish. Artworks range in date from the late sixteenth century to daring works from the late twentieth century, demonstrating the longevity of this art form as well as its currency among modern-day artists.

(click on small images for large images with captions)

Landscape of the Four Seasons
Landscape
Bamboo with Chinese Yew and Deer with Maples
The Tale of Genji
Pheasant and Pine
Maize and Cockscombs
Southern Barbarians
Willow Bridge and Waterwheel
Flowering Cherry and Autumn Maple with Poem Slips
Flower and Plants of the Four Seasons
Fans and Stream
Bamboo
Calligraphy
Twelve Poetic Immortals and Their Poems
The Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
Geese among Reeds
Fish and Plants
Blue Phoneix
Landscape of the Four Seasons
Relaxing in the Shade              
Star Festival
Dragon Knows Dragon
Red Rash
From the Mountain Lake Screen Tachi Series