Kyosai’s Animal Treasury from the Israel Goldman Collection

Animals are everywhere in the work of Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831–1889), one of the most inventive artists of 19th-century Japan. This Japanese-English bilingual art book brings together 150 selected works from the Israel Goldman Collection, regarded as the world’s largest and most comprehensive private collection of Kyōsai’s art.

Kyōsai lived with and closely observed many animals, from cats and monkeys to insects. In his paintings and prints, frogs, cats, mice, tanuki, crows, and sparrows move, fight, play, and pose almost like people. His lively animal scenes are full of close observation, humour, and occasional social commentary.

Organized into seven chapters, the book explores Kyōsai’s frogs and toads, beloved cats, signature crows, familiar creatures, auspicious animals, mischievous foxes and tanuki, and animals from beyond Japan. Across its pages, more than 700 animals and 100 birds appear in all their strange, expressive, and entertaining detail.

A wonderful book for anyone interested in Japanese art, animal imagery, ukiyo-e, or the playful side of 19th-century Japan. It is also easy to enjoy as a visual book, even without prior knowledge of Kyōsai’s work.