⑫Living with BooksーA thematic display

Sugiura Hisui (1876–1965), a prominent graphic designer active in the Meiji (1868–1912) and Showa (1926–1989) eras, acquired materials from both Japan and abroad for design research in addition to his creative work. His extensive collection included reference books such as dictionaries and illustrated guides, as well as art books, photo books, magazines, and children’s books, and Art Library, National Crafts Museum contains approximately 400 items that belonged to him. Here, we present a selection of books on plants from his collection, focusing on the themes of “sketching” and “design.” When viewed alongside his works, these rarely seen books from Hisui’s collection may enable us to see his art in new ways.