Divine Felines: The Cat in Japanese Art

Thursday, September 26
1:00–3:00 p.m. PT
Speaker: Rhiannon Paget, Ph.D., Curator of Asian Art at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida State University
Virtual Event

Whether lurking in the corners or taking center stage, cats are a ubiquitous presence in Japanese art. Depending on the situation, they may invite good fortune, prompt the viewer to meditate on a tale, or provide evidence of an unseen world of magic and supernatural happenings.

Through an examination of woodblock prints, paintings, screens, and figurines spanning three centuries from over fifty institutional and private collections, this talk discusses the rich symbolism and surprising stories surrounding the feline image in Japan.

Speaker Bio: Rhiannon Paget is the Curator of Asian Art at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida State University, located in Sarasota, Florida. A specialist of Japanese art, she has published research on paintings, textiles, popular visual culture, and especially woodblock prints, most recently Divine Felines: The Cat in Japanese Art (2023). She has curated numerous exhibitions, including Mountains of the Mind: Scholars’ Rocks in China and Beyond (2023–24), and Saitō Kiyoshi: Graphic Awakening (2021).

Please note, this session will be conducted virtually via Zoom.

All participants will be sent the Zoom link via confirmation email with instructions once you secure your place.

Sponsored by the Asian Arts Council.

Featured at top right: Saitō Kiyoshi, Two Cats, 1945-1955. Woodblock print; ink and color on paper. The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Gift of Charles and Robyn Citrin, 2015.