Nihon no hanga

The prints preserved in this private museum have been collected over a period of 30 years.
In 2022, the collection included nearly 3000 Japanese prints of which 90% dates from the early 20th century. In October 2022, over 1100 works were donated to the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Nihon no hanga has as its goal to provide a comprehensive overview of the developments in 20th century Japanese print production, with an emphasis on the pre-war period. 

Nihon no hanga literally means ‘Japanese prints’.
The term hanga, or ‘printed image’, was primarily
used by Japanese woodblock print artists in the
early 20th century.

Nihon no hanga seeks cooperation with other institutions to further the cause of a proper understanding and appreciation of 20th century Japanese graphic art. As of December 2023 the physical location of Nihon no hanga is permanently closed. The online presence of Nihon no hanga will remain, with the aim to continue projects surrounding the dissemination of 20th century Japanese prints.

The activities of Nihon no hanga come under the Für Elise Foundation, an ANBI Stichting (Public Benefit Organisation), registered in the Netherlands.

Director

Elise Wessels✝

Curator

Maureen de Vries (email)

Advisory Board

Annabelle Birnie
Sjraar van Heugten
Koji Miura
Kris Schiermeier

Board of Directors

Wessel Wessels, chairperson
Menno Fitski, member
Jaco Geerlof, member
Willem van Gogh, member