One of the most important collections of samurai armor outside of Japan will be on display at the High Museum of Art this summer, as the exhibit, “Samurai: Armor from the Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller” runs June 23 through Sept. 17.
The exhibit features a dazzling array of more than 150 helmets, swords, and other objects spanning nearly nine centuries. Among the highlights are nearly 20 complete sets of armor, which are considered among the rarest in the world.
“Samurai: Armor from the Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller” will also showcase the high level of design and craft dedicated to these elaborate instruments of ceremony and combat and reveal the culture, lifestyle, and artistic legacy associated with the samurai warrior in Japanese society.
The High is the first museum in the Southeastern United States to present this exhibition, which has traveled to cities around the world.
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog, “Art of Armor: Samurai Armor from The Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection,” with essays by leading Japanese samurai armor experts.
For more information, visit high.org.
Photo: Yokohagidō tōsei gusoku armor, Nanbokuchō period, 1336–1392 (helmet); mid-Edo period, eighteenth century (suit), iron, shakudō, gold and silver lacquer, lacing, leather, bronze, wood, silk, brocade, and bear fur. © The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas. Photo by Brad Flowers
