Print cited as inspiration for Debussy’s ‘La mer’ sets a record at auction

When writing La mer, a symphonic ode to wind, waves and the majesty of the ocean, Claude Debussy took inspiration from famous seascapes, among them works by J.M.W. Turner and woodblock prints by Katsushika Hokusai. 

Coincidentally, a Hokusai print, “The Great Wave: Under the Wave Off Kanagawa,” recently sold for a record $2.8 million (U.S.) at auction by Sotheby’s Hong Kong on Nov. 22, 2025. It was part of a sale of masterpieces of Asian art from the Okada Museum of Art. 

From the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, ca. 1831, “The Great Wave” depicts humanity confronting the power of nature, as three boats are about to be engulfed by the giant wall of water, against a view of Mount Fuji in the distance. It’s an example of ukiyo-e, meaning “pictures of the floating world,” a genre of Japanese art popular between the 17th and 19th centuries. Capturing the urban lifestyle, leisure and fashions of the Edo period, such art primarily was produced as woodblock prints. 

As noted in the Sotheby’s catalog, “No other Japanese print is more internationally renowned, occupying an iconic place in modern visual culture.”

For his first edition of the score, Debussy even used a detail of the print in muted colors on the score’s cover.

Scholars estimate that approximately 8,000 prints were produced in the 19th century, but estimate that only 130 or so examples still survive today. The Art Institute of Chicago has three examples in its collection, but they represent later impressions. Distinguished by their rich Prussian blue pigment and crisp lines, early impressions are especially coveted.

Hear La mer when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, performs it as part of a sea-themed program on Feb. 5-7.