Japanese Design: A Survey since 1950

Hardcover and softcover
236 pages, 12 ½ x 12 in.
246 color + 70 b/w illus.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1994
ISBN 9780810935099
ISBN 9780876330920

The first comprehensive presentation of modern design in Japan, this stunning volume documents a unique interpretation of the forms and aesthetics of products—ranging from food containers to complex electrical equipment—made for everyday use. Published to accompany an exhibition held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the fall of 1994, the volume includes insightful introductions by the exhibition’s curators and discussions by well-known Japanese designers, critics, and corporate managers on Japanese design and its relation to marketing, government, and company histories. The survey of 255 objects is followed by biographies of critical designers and makers.

Kathryn B. Hiesinger is the J. Mahlon Buck, Jr. Family Senior Curator of European Decorative Arts after 1700 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Felice Fischer is the Luther W. Brady Curator of Japanese Art and Senior Curator of East Asian Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.