By: Margot Dragos
On Oct. 3, Brooklyn Museum transformed its Great Hall into the “Art of Manga” exhibition. The collection, organized by Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and curated by Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere, serves as the first large-scale exhibition in the Americas that explores manga as an art form. Featuring over 600 drawings by influential manga artists, the exhibition provides a vast analysis of the global phenomenon.
Manga is a style of graphic novels and comics that originated in Japan. “Art of Manga” begins with an introduction to this art form and explains how it is created and enjoyed by readers. Visitors are guided through the galleries from right to left, similar to how manga is read.
With millions of global readers, manga is a multi-billion dollar market with beloved fans. These fans could purchase a Manga Fan Pass through the museum’s website and at the Anime NYC convention, granting fans unlimited access to “Art of Manga” through its run and exclusive presale access to “Art of Manga” events.
Due to manga’s popularity, the museum aims to represent manga in a way its fans appreciate.
“So many of these world subcultures, like jazz or ballet, if you come into them without the expertise, it’s going to be readily apparent,” Joan Cummins, Curatorial Chair and Selz Senior Curator, Asian Art, told The Art Newspaper.
Brooklyn Museum ensured that all visitors can enjoy the exhibition regardless of their knowledge of manga. A friendly frog mascot called Beshi, designed by foundational manga artist Akatsuka Fujio, frequently appears throughout the gallery walls with instructions on how to view pieces and walk through the sections, making the exhibit accessible to those not as familiar with the art form. Additionally, Japanese bookstore chain Kinokuniya provided a dedicated section for reading manga, allowing visitors to sit and browse on comfortable benches in a dedicated space.
The exhibit highlights eight manga artists, or mangaka, whose work creates supernatural worlds and action-packed narratives. These artists have individual sections throughout the exhibition: Araki Hirohiko, Oda Eiichiro, Tagame Gengoroh, Takahashi Rumiko, Taniguchi Jirō, Yamazaki Mari, Yamashita Kazumi, and Yoshinaga Fumi. Notably, Hirohiko and Eiichiro are the respective authors of the beloved manga series “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” and “One Piece.”
The museum gave artists “the ultimate say on if and how their work is displayed,” according to Rousmaniere.
“The show’s focus on artists is what makes it so special,” said Cummins via press release. “US audiences almost never get a chance to see original drawings for Japanese manga, let alone such an extensive selection.”
Visitors were pleased by the inclusion of original drawings by mangaka.
“I didn’t want to see a whole lot of digital [drawings], I wanted to see hand drawings,” Jersey City resident Allison Thornton, 56, told The Vanguard. “I know they have some pieces in here that are really unique, and so it was interesting for me to see historic versions of these books. I was kind of curious whether or not they would do that.”
“Being a person of color, [I know that] you want to be represented in the right way, and I didn’t want [the manga exhibit] to just be a fad. But hopefully, and so far, they represent the [Japanese] culture on top of the art.”
2008. Hand drawing, color on paper.
©Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan
Long-time manga fans were excited to see the hand-drawn panels from their favorite manga series.
“I never expected myself to actually see their works in person,” said Alasdair Scevning, a 19- year-old Pratt Institute student who has loved manga since middle school. “[Or] to see this many original documents before they were published into the book. So cool!”
According to Rousmaniere, including these original drawings “allows the viewer to be immersed in each manga title, becoming fluent in the form by the end of the exhibition.” Thus, both mega manga fans and casual readers can enjoy Brooklyn Museum’s “Art of Manga.”
“Even just one page of the drawing, it’s a piece of art.” Mika Furuya, a 43-year-old Manga Fan Pass holder from Manhattan, told The Vanguard. “I want [more] people to see how amazing manga is, because I think people underestimate that.”
“Art of Manga” is on display at Brooklyn Museum through Jan. 31, 2027. To learn more, visit www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/manga.