Sumo Prints from Donn Draeger collection at Seattle Art Museum

[Joseph Svinth]

According to the Portland Oregonian of Feb 13, 2004:

"Sumo wrestling, the national sport of Japan, is celebrated in high style and given its weighty justice at the Seattle Art Museum with a selection of prints and footage of modern tournaments. "Larger-Than-Life Heroes: Prints of Sumo Wrestling From the Donn F. Draeger Collection" gathers prints from the collection of this scholar and martial artist. Opens Saturday at the Seattle Art Museum."

The SAM website is http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhi...=&eventID=5902 . The donor is Phil Relnick. One does wish they could spell DD's name right, but hey, it's only a museum...

[Brian Owens]

BTW, this exhibit is in the South Gallery of the Seattle Asian Art Museum (Volunteer Park), not the main Seattle Art Museum downtown.

And two trips will be needed to see the whole collection. From the SAM website:

"Owing to a conservation issue, all prints will be changed over partway. The first three months presents 25 masterpieces of early sumo-prints, competitive maneuvers, wrestlers in casual kimono, as well as audience interactions."

[Cady Goldfield]

I'd like to see that exhibit. My collection of sumo woodblock prints is all of two. But hey, they're GOOD prints.

[Joseph Svinth]

"Conservation issues" is probably shorthand for "The museum is too cheap to buy 50 frames and mattes, so we'll take 'em down halfway through, and reframe. Plus, if we do it this way, then you'll have to pay twice to see them."

BTW, DD probably didn't pay more than a couple bucks each for those prints. RWS collected a number of these during his trip to Japan in 1961, I think it was, and he said that he didn't pay more than a couple bucks each. Doubtless DD was equally frugal.