INFORMATION
About the Collection
A collection of early 20-century Japanese kimono and haori, Modern Art Kimono was created and is owned by Larry Hermsen (except where noted).
The kimono and haori are those whose surface design seems to have been influenced by European modern art and design. The influence can be seen both as specific to an artist/artwork, or as having the feel of an artist/artwork, art movement or style. The correspondences of these with the collection’s kimono and haori are those observed by the collector, Larry Hermsen, who has done extensive research into this phenomena. While no documentation exists linking specific kimono and haori designs to specific Western artists/artwork, documentation does exist of Japanese artists studying in the West, and of Western artists with an interest in its art traveling to Japan.
Dating from as early as the 1910s, these striking pieces reveal a fascinating aspect of art history. The surface of these garments serve as visual documentation of the cyclical artistic exchange between Japan and the West, demonstrating the Japanese appropriation of design elements from Modern Art movements that had themselves looked to Japanese art for inspiration.
These garments are also exquisite objects of art, as these kimono designers were creators of original art synthesizing East and West.
The Collector
Larry Hermsen began importing and collecting fine handwoven silk Asian textiles in 2004. As he looked at vintage Japanese kimono and haori, he began to notice unusual pieces that were clearly influenced by European art and design from the early 20th century. Building on this initial fascination, he began acquiring examples and researching the associated areas to discover how these garments came to be.
Exhibitions
The collection is comprised of 53 kimono and haori and is available for exhibition or for purchase. It can be tailored to specific venues, and is accompanied by documentation and images of the art that seem to have been the inspiration for the kimono designs.
The premier exhibition of Modern Art Kimono was at the Modesto Art Museum, in Modesto, California, March 19–April 27, 2014 (shown above). A video of the exhibition at the Modesto Art Museum can be seen at:
http://vimeo.com/90040320
In December 2019 and January 2020, a selection of haori from this collection was presented in an exhibition called “Modern Design, Traditional Forms,” in the Tanabe Gallery in the Cultural Village of the Portland Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon.
Portland Japanese Garden Exhibition (click here to see this image at an expanded size)
This Website
The Modern Art Kimono website is intended for non-commercial, research and educational purposes. Images of art are reproduced under the Fair Use provision (Section 107 of the Copyright Act).
Effort has been made to secure permission to reproduce the images contained within this website, where necessary or possible. I am grateful to the individuals and institutions who have assisted in this task. Any errors are entirely unintentional, and the details should be addressed to Larry Hermsen.
The Modern Art Kimono website was designed and built by Larry Hermsen. Photos of the collection pieces are by Larry Hermsen. Special thanks to Michael Starkman, Aimee Tsao, Katherine Frandsen, and Carole Beauclerk for their contributions.
©2020 Larry Hermsen
No unauthorized use of text or images.
Contact
For more information about the collection or exhibitions, or to obtain a printed brochure,
contact: larrydhermsen@gmail.com
Bibliography
Many ideas in the text of this website are strongly influenced by readings in the following publications:
—Brandon, Reiko Mochinaga; Brown, Kendall H.; Iijima, Eriko; Annie M. Van Assche; Minichello, Sharon A.; Salmon, Patricia. Taisho Chic: Japanese Modernity, Nostalgia, and Deco. Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, California: Perpetua Press, 2001.
—Brown, Kendall H., ed. Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture 1920-1945. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 2012.
—Daval, Jean-Luc. Modern Art, 1884-1914: The Decisive Years. New York, New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 1979
—Heller, Steven and Fili, Louise. French Modern: Art Deco Graphic Design. San Francisco, California: Chronicle Books, 1997.
—Hughes, Robert. The Shock of the New. New York, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc, 1991.
—Kardon, Janet, ed. Craft in the Machine Age: the History of Twentieth-Century American Craft 1920-1945. New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995.
—Lanchner, Carolyn, ed. Paul Klee. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York, 1987.
—Meller, Susan and Elffers, Joost. Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European and American Patterns Organized by Motif, Style, Color, Layout, and Period. New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2002.
—Menten, Theodore. Advertising Art in the Art Deco Style. New York, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1975.
—Milhaupt, Terry Satsuki. Kimono: A Modern History. London, England: Reaktion Books, Ltd., 2014.
—Powers, Alan. Modern Block Printed Textiles. London, England: Walker Books, Ltd., 1992.
—Schenk, Sabine. Zuan: Expressions of Modern Design in Early 20th-Century Japanese Art. Hanford, California: The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture, 2010.
—Séguy, E.A. Séguy’s Art Deco Designs. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2006.
—Van Assche, Annie, ed. Fashioning Kimono: Art Deco and Modernism in Japan. MIlan, Italy: 5 Continents Editions, 2005.
—Van Assche, Annie, “Meisen—Early 20th-Century Fashion Kimono.” Daruma, Spring 1999: 30-39. Amagasaki, Japan: Takeguchi Momoko.
—Varnedoe, Kirk. Vienna 1900, Art Architecture and Design. New York, New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1986.