Elise Grilli (1906-1969): Pioneer American Historian and Critic of Japanese Art = エリス・グリーリ(1906–1969) : 先駆者の日本美術の学者と評論家

Abstract: Art in Japan was serious business in the aftermath of World War II and the Allied Occupation. Elise Grilli became immersed in this world during her more than two decades in Japan, between 1947 and 1969. As an art critic for The Japan Times , historian, and teacher, she championed the art of Japan, past and present, on its own terms, challenging orientalist stereotypes of its derivative and spiritual character. She presciently recognized as rising talents many practicing artists who have since gained international acclaim. Her ability to analogize developments in Japan within wider geographic, historical, and cultural frameworks helped other non-Japanese to appreciate its distinguishing qualities. Her many introductory books on major Japanese artists opened the door to Japan for a wide public. Although well-known and respected both in Japan and the United States during her lifetime, Grilli's pioneeering contributions to the understanding of Japanese art have been little recognized owing to her premature death at age 63, her gender, and her lack of a fixed professional base in the United States. This article redresses this oversight by drawing attention to her journalistic and art-historical writings.