The fall 2008 exhibition in the Mertz Library will celebrate the use of kiku, the national symbol and royal emblem of Japan, as a versatile, centuries-old visual motif across Japanese art and artifacts. The Chrysanthemum in Japanese Art, an exhibition of imaginative, stylistically intricate, and beautifully rendered representations of the chrysanthemum in many different media, will be on view in the Library Building Rondina and LoFaro Gallery. The exhibition will run from October 18, 2008 to January 11, 2009.

Co-curators Dr. Miyeko Murase (Takeo and Itsuko Professor Emerita, Columbia University, and Research Curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Stephanie Wada (Associate Curator of the Burke Foundation), have worked closely with the Mertz Library staff to design this exhibition. The art and objects for this exhibition will be on loan from two of the most exceptional collections of Japanese art found outside of Japan; The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation.


Guided tours of the exhibition will be scheduled periodically. The schedule of tours will be available via the Botanical Garden's Web site at www.nybg.org

Exhibitions in the Mertz Library are made possible by the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, William D. Rondina and The Carlisle Collection, and The Kurt Berliner Foundation.