Geisha with Fan

From: Asian Art Museum
Limited Edition: 284
Exhibition: Geisha: Beyond the Painted Smile
Material: Printed vinyl
Dimensions: 35" x 72" (88cm x 182cm)

Hanging Hardware Included

 

Description

Geisha are a powerful icon of Japanese culture, and these striking women have been intriguing people around the world for hundreds of years. The exhibition Geisha: Beyond the Painted Smile set about dispelling the many misperceptions about geisha culture and roles. With formal training in dance and music, geisha entertain clients with their social graces and companionship. They are not courtesans or high-class prostitutes, despite such misrepresentations in the west.

This banner features a larger-than-life close-up of a geisha with the recognizable white makeup, elaborately coiled hair, and dark-lined eyes. In keeping with the theme of the exhibition, this geisha does indeed have a “painted smile” which is part of a beautifully decorated fan she holds hiding her real mouth. The scale of this banner makes it fit any interior. The style would blend perfectly into an Asian-inspired room, or add an eclectic touch to a more traditional interior.

The reverse of this banner is a bold orange with black and white text that reads “GEISHA/ Beyond the Painted Smile/Asian Art Museum/ JUNE 25 - SEPT 26” and includes the museum’s logo.

Provenance

The unique image on this banner was designed exclusively for the Asian Art Museum to promote the exhibition Geisha: Beyond the Painted Smile which ran from June 25 - September 26, 2004. The image is a montage of a photograph by Claude Shade combined with an image of a 20th century Japanese fan. These banners were hung throughout the city of San Francisco. The exhibition also ran at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.