Hokusai at Palazzo Bonaparte: major retrospective in Rome (27 March–29 June 2026)

Hokusai at Palazzo Bonaparte: what to see

From 27 March to 29 June 2026, Palazzo Bonaparte in Piazza Venezia stages Italy's first large-scale retrospective dedicated to Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849). The show features more than 200 works from the National Museum in Kraków, including prints, sketch albums and Edo-period objects.

Practical information

• Venue: Spazio Generali Valore Cultura, Palazzo Bonaparte, Piazza Venezia 5 (corner of Via del Corso).
• Dates: 27 March – 29 June 2026.
• Opening hours: Mon–Thu 09:00–19:30; Fri–Sun 09:00–21:00. Ticket office closes 1 hour earlier.
• How to get there: Metro B (Colosseo) or Metro A (Spagna) + bus; tram 8 to Piazza Venezia.
• Booking: online reservation recommended. A booking fee of €1.50 per person applies for online purchases.

Tickets and concessions

• Full price: €17.00.
• Standard reduced: €16.00 (over 70s, 11–17 year-olds, disabled visitors, law enforcement, accredited journalists, Arthemisia Card holders).
• Special reductions: €15.00 for annual Metrebus subscribers (Mon–Fri, excluding holidays, at the box office), Generali employees/agents, university students on Tuesdays; €12.50 for holders of Frecciarossa/Frecciargento/Frecciabianca tickets to Rome (at box office up to 2 days before).
• Children: €7.00 (ages 4–10); free under 4. Schools €6.00; Open ticket €19.00.
• Audio guide: included in the ticket price (excluding groups and school visits).

Exhibition route

The layout follows Hokusai's long creative trajectory and is divided into key sections:

• Ukiyo-e: polychrome woodblock prints that show how Hokusai reshaped landscape representation, including works from The Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji and The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
• Manga: original sketchbooks used as drawing manuals and references for artists of the period.
• Edo material culture: lacquers, cloisonné, armor, kimonos and instruments that contextualize the prints.
• Western influence: sections exploring Hokusai's impact on Japonisme and European art and music.

Curatorship and provenance

The exhibition is curated with contributions from the National Museum in Kraków and features works that rarely travel outside their home collection. The project also highlights cultural ties and exchanges between Italy and Japan.

Why visit

This retrospective provides a rare opportunity to see the technical range and cultural breadth of Hokusai's production, from woodblock masterpieces to preparatory sketches, presented within an exhibition designed to restore the visual context of the Edo era.