Symposium Recap

On 3–4 September 2026, the international graduate symposium The Making of Japanese Art History in the 20th Century brought together scholars at Heidelberg University to reconsider how “Japanese art history” has been made, negotiated, and circulated throughout the twentieth century. Our discussions moved from canon formation and the construction of modern classics to wartime narratives, changing classifications of the arts, practices of mediation and education, and transcultural histories of exhibition and display.

We were delighted to welcome Kristopher W. Kersey for the opening keynote, “(The History of)² Japanese Art in the 20th Century,” and Maki Fukuoka for the closing keynote, “Zooming In, Zooming Out: Histories of Japanese Photography, Art, and Wartime Activities.” We are also grateful to Stephanie Su for her book talk on her recent publication History Painting Crossing Borders: A Transnational History of Modern Art in Early Twentieth-Century China and Japan.

Above all, the symposium was made special by the exchanges that developed across different generations, disciplines, media, and geographical perspectives. Our warmest thanks go to all speakers, chairs, participants, and guests who contributed to two days of generous and stimulating discussion.

The symposium was organized by Ruri Kawanami, Wei Sun, and Fengyu Wang, with the support of the Institute of East Asian Art History at Heidelberg University. We are especially grateful to Prof. Sarah Fraser and Prof. Monica Juneja for their support throughout the process. We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Graduate Academy of Heidelberg University through its Doktorandeninitiative programme.