Japonisme hit the Western world like a tsunami soon after 1853, the year Commodore Matthew Perry landed on those unfamiliar shores. Japanese objects, dress, and culture sparked widespread fascination in the decades following. It touched every Western artistic discipline: think Madame Butterfly and The Mikado, and a revival of Ukiyo-e (block-printing) techniques in Europe. Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, James Whistler and Mary Cassatt all came under its spell. Hill-Stead's founders, the Popes, bought 19th Japonisme treasures, but their enthusiasm for the country moved them to add much older objects, too. A rare Buddhist handscroll from 744 CE is a recent, once-in-a-lifetime discovery in Hill-Stead’s holdings. Anna Swinbourne will share the incredible story of how the Pope family encountered this amazing object; she will also persuade you of Japonisme’s allure via textiles, lacquerware, netsuke, and prints and paintings by Old Master and Impressionist artists. Catch this remarkable, and remarkably beautiful, wave.
Please note: Our Hill-Stead Experience, open only to our registrants, invites you to attend Anna Swinbourne’s lecture at the beautiful Pope family estate in Farmington. After sharing her tales of the Pope family’s growing fascination with Japanese culture, Dr. Swinbourne will open the doors of the gallery and the house itself so that you can take in their rare Japonisme treasures in situ. May you be dazzled enough to want to share your impressions with friends over lunch, which will await you upon the close of your self-guided tour.
The Great Wave: Japonisme at Hill-Stead is on view at Hill-Stead in the gallery and period rooms of the historic house from Dec. 12, 2025 through April 30, 2026.
Anna Swinbourne (PhD) is executive director and CEO of Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT, and an independent art historian, curator, and art advisor engaged in publication, exhibition and art-market endeavors. From 1999 to 2009, Dr. Swinbourne was on the curatorial staff of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, where she created a catalogue on the unparalleled Niarchos Collection, and curated—either independently, or with Chief Curators, Kirk Varnedoe and John Elderfield—major exhibitions on Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Édouard Manet, and James Ensor, the last two of which were awarded First Prize for Best Historical Show of the year by the International Art Critics Association (AICA). Prior to joining MoMA, Anna was an Assistant Vice President in the Impressionist and Modern Art Department of Sotheby’s, New York. Trained at the École du Louvre in Paris, Tufts University (BA), and the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University (MA.; PhD.), she is a Trustee of Hill-Stead Museum as well as member of the Board of Managers of Lewis Walpole Library of Yale University and the Art Advisory Committee of King Baudouin Foundation United States.
Lecture only: Thursday, Feb. 19 | 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | McLean (off-campus/Simsbury) | $20
Hill-Stead Experience: Lecture + Exhibit + Lunch: Tuesday, Apr. 28 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m. | $55
Made possible in part by the generosity of the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
Brought to you by the Presidents' College, where we connect the curious through lifelong learning.
For other stimulating Presidents' College offerings, see our printable PDF.
Faculty and staff are eligible to take one Presidents' College lecture for free every semester, or to receive a one-session discount ($20) for a longer course. Contact us at pcollege@hartford.edu or 860.768.4495.
Our snazzy Presidents’ College Gift Certificates are also ready for purchase. Giving the gift of knowledge is a great way to celebrate birthdays and un-birthdays in style while inviting friends and family into the Presidents' College circle.