Le Japon artistique : documents d'art et d'industrie

Editor

Bing, Siegfried, 1838-1905

Date

• 1888-1891

Publisher

Paris, France: Japon Artistique

Summary

• Originally issued as a periodical appearing simultaneously in French and German under the titles "Le Japon artistique" and "Japanischer formenschatz."
• "Le Japon Artistique" (1888-1891) was a journal published in French, German and English editions for Europeans interested in the arts of Japan, a country that had only recently opened to trade with the West in 1854. The publisher, Siegfried (sometimes Samuel) Bing, was an influential German-born Parisian art dealer and businessman who imported and promoted Japanese art, both antique and contemporary. Born into a family owning manufacturies in ceramics and glass, Bing was committed to revitalizing Western decorative arts and became a strong supporter of design reform. The Art Nouveau movement, taking inspiration from Japanese style, is said to have acquired its name from Bing's Parisian gallery called "L'Art Nouveau." Just as Western decorative arts were influenced by China in the 18th century (see Jan Nieuhof's "An Embassy from the East-India Company..." for an early illustrated text communicating that aesthetic), so Japan impacted Western art and design in the late 19th century. The original journal volumes digitized here are available at the University of Wisconsin’s Kohler Art Library. Each of the six bound volumes contains six monthly issues. The individual issues, No. 1-36 (May, 1888-April, 1891), contain signed articles and illustration plates. Within each bound volume, the individual issue covers and a comprehensive table of contents are found at the end.