In Memoriam: Dr. Miyeko Murase

February 19, 2025 (New York, NY) — Japan Society joins the Japanese art community in mourning the passing of Dr. Miyeko Murase, a pioneering scholar, curator, and mentor in the field of Japanese art. Dr. Murase passed away on February 12, 2025, at the age of 100, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy that has shaped the study and appreciation of Japanese art for generations.

A seminal figure in the field, Dr. Murase was the Takeo and Itsuko Atsumi Professor Emerita of Japanese Art at Columbia University and served as a Special Consultant for Japanese Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. With a career spanning more than half a century, she was instrumental in bridging the realms of academia, private collections, and museum curation.

Her contributions were recognized with the prestigious Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, awarded by the Japanese government for her exceptional dedication to Japanese culture. She was also a trusted advisor to Mary Griggs Burke, whose significant collection of Japanese art now resides at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Dr. Murase curated numerous landmark exhibitions that have left an indelible mark on the field, including Bridge of Dreams: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection of Japanese Art (2000) and Turning Point: Oribe and the Arts of Sixteenth-Century Japan (2003) at The Met, as well as A Giant Leap: The Transformation of Hasegawa Tōhaku (2018) at Japan Society. Her students—many of whom now hold teaching and curatorial positions at leading institutions—carry forward her deep knowledge, meticulous scholarship, and passion for Japanese art.

In her final curatorial role, Dr. Murase served as guest curator of Kotobuki: Auspicious Celebrations of Japanese Art from New York Private Collections, which will open at Japan Society on March 13, 2025. The exhibition, which brings together rarely displayed masterworks from significant New York private collections, embodies many of the themes central to her curatorial ethos: the power of collecting, the endurance of tradition, and the interplay between private and institutional art worlds.

Dr. Michele Bambling, Senior Director, Japan Society Gallery, explains that “in the spirit of kotobuki (celebration), the exhibition honors Dr. Murase’s achievements, serving as both a tribute and a celebration for those inspired by her scholarship to reflect on her lasting impact on the understanding and appreciation of Japanese art.”