Comment | The Brooklyn Museum’s manga exhibition reveals the opportunities and challenges of tackling a global phenomenon
The Japanese art form has a fervent and wide-reaching community around it, which the New York museum has incorporated in its process
The Brooklyn Museum's recent exhibition, "Art of Manga," provides a unique look at the international phenomenon of Japanese manga comics. Spanning more than 600 drawings from multiple generations, the show demonstrates the vast reach and cultural impact of manga, which has outsold American superhero comics in the US since 2018.
With a budget of approximately $9 million, the exhibition not only showcases original manga artwork, but also highlights the complexities of presenting a global cultural icon in a museum setting. The Brooklyn Museum collaborated closely with manga publishers, editors, and artists to ensure the exhibition accurately represented their work and provided visitors with an immersive experience.
One of the exhibition's most notable pieces includes a life-sized, 12-panel painting by Hirohiko Araki from the series "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," which allows viewers to step inside the JoJo landscape alongside the characters. Another highlight is an unfinished self-portrait by the late manga legend Jiro Taniguchi, whose widow has lent the piece to Japan for the first time outside of his home country.
The exhibition aims to fill gaps in museum collections and art history books, as well as to create a more inclusive and engaging experience for visitors. The Brooklyn Museum's approach to "Art of Manga" serves as a model for other institutions looking to integrate popular culture and global phenomena into their exhibitions.
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