The Van Gogh Museum will present ‘Yoshitoshi. Meester van de maan’ from 1 October 2026 through 4 January 2027, marking the first time Yoshitoshi’s celebrated series ‘Honderd aspecten van de maan’ has been shown there.
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi is regarded as the last great master and innovator of Japanese printmaking. The prints depict warriors, lovers, historical figures and mythical beings from Japanese and Chinese history, mythology and folk stories, using powerful colours, unexpected compositions and close attention to human emotions.
Works named in the exhibition include ‘Gedicht – Ariko’ from 1886 and ‘Maan boven de berg Inaba’ from 1885.
The moon series comes from the estate of art collector Elise Wessels, founder of the museum Nihon no hanga; after her death, 141 Japanese prints from her collection were placed in the Van Gogh Museum through the Dutch state, including the complete series.
Vincent van Gogh collected hundreds of Japanese prints and owned five by Yoshitoshi, studying the prints and adopting elements of Japanese style—including large colour fields, striking compositions and strong contour lines—for his own art.
