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Weekend Tips: What to Do This Weekend in Berlin
May 1 to 3, 2026: Events, festivals, exhibitions and more things to do for your perfect weekend in Berlin. more
A Thousand Brushes With a Single Style! (Part 2)
The House of Kano and Painting as Family Business
Werkstatt des Kano Jinnojō (k.D., tätig 1. H. 17. Jh.) zugeschrieben, Landschaft mit Figuren, Stellschirm zu 6 Paneelen, Tusche, Farben und Gold auf Papier
© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Sammlung Klaus F. und Yoshie Naumann / Jörg von Bruchhausen
Kano Tan’en (1804 – 1853), Landschaft im chinesischen Stil, nach Su Shis (1037 – 1101) Gedichten zur Fahrt zur Roten Wand, Detail, Hängerolle, Tusche und Farbe auf Seide
© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Leihgabe der Museen der Stadt Nürnberg, Sammlung Carl Johannes Fuchs / Jürgen Liepe
Kano Eisen-in Michinobu (1730-1790), Felsenpäonien, Detail, Tusche und Farben auf Papier
© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Sammlung Klaus F. und Yoshie Naumann / Jörg von Bruchhausen
Kano - for almost four hundred years between the 1480s and 1880s, this family name stood for a coherent, recognizable style in Japan as a brand for images of power.
Organized as a family-like association of workshops under the direction of a male head, the Kano network was able to mobilize a large number of painters at any time from the 17th century onwards, organizing even the most extensive large-scale projects, such as the painting of palatial residences, on a division of labour and completing them in the shortest possible time. The possibility of taking talented students into the House of Kano through adoption and often marriage to female family members ensured its continuity and regularly provided new talent. Only the decline of the military aristocracy in the 19th century heralded the end of the Kano.
This second part of the temporary exhibition shows a selection of Kano paintings from the collection of the Museum of Asian Art, focusing on seasonal paintings and the development of the Kano tradition in the 18th and 19th centuries .
"A thousand brushes, one style! - The House of Kano and Painting as a Family Business" is a temporary presentation of the Museum of Asian Art in the Humboldt Forum, Room 318 , "Art from Japan".Translated with DeepL
Organized as a family-like association of workshops under the direction of a male head, the Kano network was able to mobilize a large number of painters at any time from the 17th century onwards, organizing even the most extensive large-scale projects, such as the painting of palatial residences, on a division of labour and completing them in the shortest possible time. The possibility of taking talented students into the House of Kano through adoption and often marriage to female family members ensured its continuity and regularly provided new talent. Only the decline of the military aristocracy in the 19th century heralded the end of the Kano.
This second part of the temporary exhibition shows a selection of Kano paintings from the collection of the Museum of Asian Art, focusing on seasonal paintings and the development of the Kano tradition in the 18th and 19th centuries .
"A thousand brushes, one style! - The House of Kano and Painting as a Family Business" is a temporary presentation of the Museum of Asian Art in the Humboldt Forum, Room 318 , "Art from Japan".Translated with DeepL
Runtime: Wed, 11/03/2026 to Mon, 01/06/2026
Price info: Since October 3, 2025, the Humboldt Forum has had a new pricing model:
With just one ticket, you will have access to the permanent exhibitions and temporary presentations – and you can choose between a one-day, two-day or group ticket for maximum flexibility. All of these ticket options allow you to visit the collections of the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, BERLIN GLOBAL, as well as other temporary exhibitions. The ticket is also valid for the special exhibition Family Matters (from 3 October) with interventions throughout the building and in the Knoblauchhaus Museum in the Nikolaiviertel.
Many areas and programmes are still accessible to you free of charge – including the Humboldt Laboratory with the new exhibition On Water. Water Knowledge in Berlin (from 10 October), the stairwell with Impressions. The Humboldt Brothers, the castle cellar, the sculpture hall, the video panorama and the presentation Traces. You can also attend numerous events and educational programmes without paying admission.
Price: €14.00
Reduced price: €7.00
Reduced price info: Admission remains free of charge for children and young people up to the age of 19, persons accompanying a severely disabled person (provided this is noted as B on the severely disabled person’s pass), persons receiving transfer payments and Berlin-Ticket-S-holders. Admission is also free of charge for Members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the German Museums Association and the Federal Association for Museum Education.
With just one ticket, you will have access to the permanent exhibitions and temporary presentations – and you can choose between a one-day, two-day or group ticket for maximum flexibility. All of these ticket options allow you to visit the collections of the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, BERLIN GLOBAL, as well as other temporary exhibitions. The ticket is also valid for the special exhibition Family Matters (from 3 October) with interventions throughout the building and in the Knoblauchhaus Museum in the Nikolaiviertel.
Many areas and programmes are still accessible to you free of charge – including the Humboldt Laboratory with the new exhibition On Water. Water Knowledge in Berlin (from 10 October), the stairwell with Impressions. The Humboldt Brothers, the castle cellar, the sculpture hall, the video panorama and the presentation Traces. You can also attend numerous events and educational programmes without paying admission.
Price: €14.00
Reduced price: €7.00
Reduced price info: Admission remains free of charge for children and young people up to the age of 19, persons accompanying a severely disabled person (provided this is noted as B on the severely disabled person’s pass), persons receiving transfer payments and Berlin-Ticket-S-holders. Admission is also free of charge for Members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the German Museums Association and the Federal Association for Museum Education.
Takes place here:
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