The Art of Manga

Celebrate artistic expression and innovation in this illuminating exploration of the history and cultural impact of manga.

The Art of Manga spotlights--and celebrates--the Japanese comics and graphic novels that are sought after and beloved by millions of readers around the globe. Manga, which refers to comics and cartooning originating in Japan, utilizes a style first developed in the late nineteenth century that draws from Western comics and satire, as well as from Japanese printing and art historical precedents. With its dexterous line drawings, dynamic compositions, intriguing characters, and compelling storytelling, manga is an incredibly accessible and highly enjoyable form of art.

Published to coincide with a groundbreaking exhibition at the de Young in San Francisco, The Art of Manga highlights ten key manga artists with rich sections devoted to their work and texts about their aesthetic themes and working methods. This prismatic volume also features essays and interviews on manga history, creation, and culture by artists, scholars, and industry professionals; manga timelines of its Japanese foundations and its relationship to the United States; and more than two hundred full-color illustrations to give readers a deeper understanding of manga’s cultural development and social impact--and a greater appreciation for its highly creative and mesmeric power.

Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere is the founding director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures and professor of Japanese art and culture at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom. She wrote Vessels of Influence: China and the Birth of Porcelain in Medieval and Modern Japan (Bloomsbury Academic, 2012) and translated Tsuji Nobuo’s A History of Art in Japan (Tokyo University Press, 2018). She was the lead curator for the exhibition Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan in 2007 and The Citi Exhibition: Manga in 2019, both held at the British Museum, London, where she was a curator from 2008 to 2019.