Professor Melissa McCormick's "The Tale of Genji" Exhibition Named "Best of 2019" by Washington Post

December 12, 2019

An exhibition curated by Professor Melissa McCormick has been named in Washington Post's "Best of Art 2019" list. The exhibition "The Tale of Genji: A Japanese Classic Illuminated" ran at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the first half of the year. "This revelatory show..." the Washington Post writes...

...examined the impact on Japanese art and culture of the book often described as the first novel ever written. Its author, Lady Murasaki, has long had the status of a goddess in Japan. The exhibition, which contained one incredibly rare and beautiful object after another, paid tribute to her. Even better, it created a mood of amorousness, ambivalence, intimacy and fade-out that will stick in my mind for decades to come.

Both the "Best of 2019" list and the exhibition review are available to read on the Washington Post website. Additional information is also available on the Metropolitan of Art website

Illustrations by Tosa Mitsunobu