The kimono exhibition will be held at the Gallery of Oriental Painting in Moscow

The exhibition "Kimono Legends: Heroes, Creators and Keepers" will feature antique kimonos from the collection of art critic Natalia Bakina. Her collection includes more than 200 kimonos of the Taisho era (1912-1926), as well as many accessories – various types of belts (obi) and other elements of traditional Japanese clothing. This is the largest private collection of kimonos not only in Russia, but also in Europe, which contains rare samples of artistic and historical interest. For example, the collection includes 22 hikizuri (kimono geisha) of the early twentieth century, which today is almost impossible to find even in Japan.

The main objective of the exhibition is to show that the kimono is not only a utilitarian object, but also a canvas for displaying meanings and images, a genuine symbol of the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun and all the best that Japanese masters create.

Classical Japanese and Chinese literature, folklore, Buddhist legends, Shinto myths, Confucian treatises, plays of Noh, Kegen and Kabuki theaters, music and dance are only part of what constitutes the artistic baggage of the subjects of the presented kimonos.

The exhibition tells incredibly interesting stories about ancient Japanese customs, mythical and historical characters, great sages and seductive beauties, love and separation, friendship and betrayal, evil demons and magical miracles. A catalog with rich illustrations and a detailed description of the subjects of kimono painting was created especially for the exhibition.

"For us, the kimono exhibition is an opportunity to introduce Muscovites and guests of the city to the rich palette of cultural traditions of Japan. In this sense, the kimono is a very fertile material, because it concentrates ideas about history, painting, literature, technology and opens up endless facets of the beauty of the always mysterious and attractive East," says the curator of the exhibition, orientalist Tatiana Naumova.

The exhibition will host the festival of Japanese arts "Hina-matsuri", dedicated to the Japanese spring festival of dolls. Visitors to the gallery will be able to learn more about the culture of Japan. The festival schedule includes a series of educational lectures from the best specialists in their field, an exhibition and sale of objects of decorative and applied art of Japan and fascinating master classes, including for children from 10 years old.

The exhibition will be held at the address: Moscow, Maly Kiselny lane, 3, p. 2.