The Great Wave

Available for over a year

A huge blue and white wave towers over three unfortunate boats, with Mount Fuji framed by the cresting wall of water. Katsushika Hokusai’s Underneath the Wave off Kanagawa is a celebrity - one of a very few artworks known the world over, reproduced on everything from socks to surfboards, from book covers to beer bottles. But how and why did this humble woodblock print hit the big time? In this series, art historian Dr James Fox traces the twists of fate and happy accidents that propelled a handful of images into global pop culture, making them so famous they even have their own emojis. From first printing in Japan in 1831 to a rapturous reception in 19th century Europe, the surf boom of 1960s California and shops on every high street, James tells the story of how The Great Wave conquered the world. Contributors include: surf photographer Jeff Divine Kyota Ko, author of Horror Tales of Japan Terrie Isaac, trend forecaster with BDA London Matthew Broughton Lily Richards of Vintage, Penguin Random House The reader is Todd Kramer Producer: Julia Johnson Executive Producer: Laurence Bassett A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4