Hokusai's Great Wave (Objects in Focus)

Every purchase supports the British Museum 'The Great Wave' is a colour woodblock print designed by Japanese artist Hokusai in around 1830 The print, of which numerous multiples were made, shows a monster of a wave rearing up and about to come crashing down on three fishing boats and their crews One of a monumental series known as 'Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji', Hokusai's Great Wave – with the graceful snow-clad Mount Fuji on the horizon, unperturbed but wittily dwarfed by the towering strength of the wave that threatens to engulf the struggling boats – has become an iconic image of the power of nature and the relative smallness of man One of the most famous pieces of Japanese art, this extraordinary artwork has had a huge impact worldwide and has served as a source of inspiration to artists, both past and present