The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco have announced the upcoming exhibition “Art of Manga,” set to open at the de Young museum from September 27, 2025, to January 25, 2026. This exhibition will be the first in the Americas to explore manga as an art form, featuring original works by renowned artists such as Akatsuka Fujio, Araki Hirohiko, Chiba Tetsuya, Oda Eiichiro, and others.
“Captivating millions around the world with dynamic graphic narratives, manga is one of the most significant visual mediums of our time,” stated Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The exhibition aims to provide insight into manga’s creative power and its global social impact.
Visitors will have a rare opportunity to view over 700 drawings by influential manga artists. Many pieces will be displayed publicly for the first time. The exhibition begins with early-generation artists like Chiba Tetsuya and Akatsuka Fujio and progresses through various styles and themes explored by contemporary creators.
Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere, organizing curator and Research Director at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures at the University of East Anglia remarked on manga’s unique storytelling approach: “By prioritizing images and line over text in its storytelling, manga cultivates an ease of visceral understanding that enables readership from around the world to enjoy the same stories.”
The exhibit will also highlight Kodansha’s digital service K MANGA and Shueisha’s Manga-Art Heritage initiative. It concludes with a collaboration between Akatsuka Fujio and artist Tanaami Keiichi.
The Fine Arts Museums’ extensive historical Japanese prints collection positions them uniquely as North America’s first museum to emphasize this contemporary Japanese art form.
Support for “Art of Manga” comes from Yurie and Carl Pascarella among others. The museums acknowledge their location on land traditionally inhabited by Indigenous peoples including Ramaytush Ohlone.
