Kiku

The Art of the Japanese Chrysanthemum

The Garden-wide flower show and art exhibition Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Chrysanthemum celebrates the importance of kiku in Japanese culture. This exquisite 36-page companion guide reveals the once carefully guarded secrets of growing kiku into the intricate styles displayed in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Courtyards. The explanation of the elaborate cultivation methods used to create each of the Imperial styles helps visitors understand and appreciate the meticulous, months-long process.

In addition to the horticultural magnificence of kiku, the catalog showcases the exhibition The Chrysanthemum in Japanese Art and the exceptional objects on display in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library gallery, from an early 20th-century kimono to folding screens, woodblock prints, porcelain plates, and more. Guest co-curators Miyeko Murase, Ph.D., and Stephanie Wada discuss the use of kiku as a major design motif in paintings, prints, textiles, ceramics, and lacquerware. Extensive descriptions of the 32 beautiful works of art on loan from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mary Griggs Burke Collection of Japanese Art, and other private collections in the New York area make this book a must-have.

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