Manga, the Japanese comic-book and graphic-novel form typically created by a single artist known as a mangaka, has become increasingly popular in the United States. Traditionally printed in black and white and read from right to left, the medium is now the subject of “Art of Manga,” a large-scale exhibition at New York’s Brooklyn Museum.
The exhibition explores manga’s development, the distinct voices of its creators and the form’s cross-cultural impact. It includes more than 600 original illustrations across 10 rooms, offering visitors an uncommon opportunity to see the artwork and working processes behind Japanese manga.
The show opens with an introduction to manga’s structure and history, highlighting Fujio Akatsuka, known as the “King of Gag Manga,” and Tetsuya Chiba, whose stories addressed themes including war, peace, economic insecurity, sports and social divisions. Its main section focuses on eight prominent mangaka from the 20th and 21st centuries: four men and four women representing different styles, traditions and publishers.
Many of the displayed drawings were not originally intended for public exhibition. Several pieces have left Japan for the first time, including an unfinished pencil self-portrait by Jiro Taniguchi and an illustration depicting the final scene of Chiba’s “Ashita no Joe.” The exhibition’s central hall also features 12 life-sized paintings by Hirohiko Araki, creator of “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” which has been serialized for nearly 40 years.
The exhibition previously opened at San Francisco’s de Young Museum and was expanded for its Brooklyn presentation. Curators say the focus on original artwork allows visitors to examine the artists’ drafting skills and creative methods, while also recognizing manga as a major form of visual storytelling in Japan and increasingly around the world.
“Art of Manga” is on view at the Brooklyn Museum through January 31, 2027.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine.