Takeuchi Ryūa (Kokunimasa), Skeletons as a Courtesan Procession, c. 1900–1920. The Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund, 2024.66.2 © Minneapolis Institute of Art

Minneapolis — The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) presents “Bare Bones: Skeletons in Japanese Art,” a focused exhibit that examines the enduring fascination with skeletons and skulls in Japanese visual culture. The exhibition, on view from October 24, 2026, through January 3, 2027, brings together 23 works from Mia’s permanent collection spanning nearly two centuries, from the 1830s to 2018.

Featuring paintings, prints, sculptures, textiles, and netsuke, “Bare Bones” explores how Japanese artists transformed skeletons from symbols of fear and mortality into subjects of humor and artistic experimentation. While skeletons often appear as secondary figures in Japanese art, the exhibition highlights works in which they emerge center stage, particularly in the 19th century, when anatomical knowledge grew and inspired increasingly lifelike depictions.

The exhibition’s centerpiece is a recently acquired and exceptionally rare pair of six-panel folding screens by the painter Takeuchi Ryūa (Kokunimasa), Skeletons at Play and Skeletons as a Courtesan Procession (c. 1900–20). Animated with lively figures rendered in ink, color, and gold pigment on silver leaf, the screens depict skeletons engaged in scenes of revelry and procession, balancing the macabre with wit and elegance.

Additional highlights include The Ghost of Kohada Koheiji (c. 1831–32) by Katsushika Hokusai, one of Japan’s most celebrated printmakers, and Mimicry: Monkey (2018) by contemporary ceramic artist Akinaga Kunihiro.

“The pair of screens by Takeuchi Ryūa, which emphasizes the tarnished and theatrical nature of these underworld scenes, is his greatest masterpiece,” said Andreas Marks, Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese and Korean Art and Director of the Clark Center at Mia. “The tall, almost life-size humanized skeletons are striking, unforgettable, and a must to see in person. ‘Bare Bones: Skeletons in Japanese Art’ showcases the playfulness behind subjects that are often considered haunting.”

Timed to coincide with the Halloween season, “Bare Bones” offers visitors the opportunity to encounter Japanese art through imagination, humor, and the universal fascination with mortality and the afterlife.

October 24, 2026–January 3, 2027

Takeuchi Ryūa (Kokunimasa), Skeletons at Play [left of a pair], c. 1900–1920. The Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund, 2024.66.1 © Minneapolis Institute of Art

Katsushika Hokusai; Publisher: Tsuruya Kiemon, The Ghost of Kohada Koheiji, c. 1831–32, Edo period (1603–1868). Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper, 26.5 × 18.9 cm (image, sheet, vertical chūban). Gift of Louis W. Hill, Jr., 56.52.3 © Minneapolis Institute of Art

Akinaga Kunihiro, Mimicry: Monkey, 2018. Glazed stoneware, steel; 104.93 × 45 × 63.5 cm (approx.). The Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund established by the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation, 2018.67a-c © Minneapolis Institute of Art