The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 30, 2026

A long, narrow, rectangular wood box is oriented vertically, showcasing its light brown, striated surface and several dark circular stains. Centered on the lid, a single column of black ink calligraphy flows downward in fluid, expressive brushstrokes of varying thickness. The natural wood grain runs vertically, parallel to the script. At the very bottom, a small portion of the box's base is visible beneath the lid's edge.

Box for Ambiguous Beauty/Aimai-No-Bi

1995

Yasumasa Morimura

(Japanese, b. 1951)
Japan
Wooden box
Overall: 29.2 x 49.5 cm (11 1/2 x 19 1/2 in.)
Gift in Memory of Toby Devan Lewis 2024.89.b
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Through makeup, props, elaborate costumes, and digital manipulation, the artist transforms himself into different subjects, often drawing from Western art and popular culture.

Description

One side of Yasumasa Morimura’s handheld folding fan features the male artist posing as Marilyn Monroe in a full-length nude centerfold photographed by Tom Kelley in 1953 for the inaugural issue of Playboy magazine. The reverse of the fan is printed with the Japanese character for “love.” While in Japanese society fans were used by both sexes, they are commonly thought of as a female accessory and in Western society, a prop evoking modesty. Morimura challenges definitions of identity and gender boundaries by depicting himself in the guise of famous female figures in artworks and historic images.
  • 1995
    Artist, to the Norton family
    1995
    The Norton family, gifted to Ms. Toby Lewis
    1995–2022
    Ms.Toby Lewis [1934–2022], Lyndhurst, OH, to the Estate of Toby Lewis
    2022–2024?
    Estate of Toby Lewis, to Adam Joseph Lewis, Ivy Beth Lewis, and Mark C. Lewis
    2022?–2024
    Adam Joseph Lewis, Ivy Beth Lewis, and Mark C. Lewis, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2024
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Box for Ambiguous Beauty/Aimai-No-Bi|url=false|author=Yasumasa Morimura|year=1995|access-date=30 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.89.b