Current and Upcoming Art Exhibitions in Tokyo

Calder: Un Effet du Japonais Exhibition

"Calder: Un Effet du Japonais" explores the enduring resonance of the American modernist’s art with Japanese traditions and aesthetics. Curated by Alexander S. C. Rower, President of the Calder Foundation, New York, and organized in collaboration with Pace Gallery, the exhibition will comprise approximately 100 works from the collection of the Calder Foundation that span the 1930s to the 1970s, ranging from the artist’s signature mobiles, stabiles and standing mobiles to his oil paintings and works on paper.

Traveling Peanuts Exhibition

Held at the newly refurbished Snoopy Museum Tokyo, the "Traveling Peanuts" exhibition is showcasing original drawings by Charles M. Schulz that depict Snoopy and the Peanuts gang during their travels. There are more than 40 original comic strips borrowed from the Schulz Museum. "Traveling Peanuts" begins on February 1, when the Snoopy Museum Tokyo reopens after being closed for three weeks.  The museum now includes a new Snoopy Wonder Room, featuring various Snoopy goods, and a new light and video presentation in the popular Snoopy Room area, which is known for its approximately 8-meter-long giant statue of  Schulz's most famous character.  The museum's shop, Brown's Store, meanwhile, has added various items that can't be found anywhere else in the world. Adjacent to the museum is the Peanuts Cafe, which now includes terrace seating and a new grand menu. 

Afro Mingei: Theaster Gates Solo Exhibition

While Black histories remain relatively little known among the Japanese public, this exhibition demonstrates its growing attention to Black art through the multidimensional practice of Theaster Gates. "Afro-Mingei" will convey the importance of contemporary art that honors craft, ask us to consider questions of race and politics, and celebrate the hybrid possibilities of culture.

Toulouse-Lautrec, Elegance of the Master of the Belle Époque Exhibition

This exhibition introduces about 240 graphic works of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the famous artist of French fin-de-siècle, from the Firos Collection, one of the finest private collections of Lautrec in the world. The most unique quality of the Firos Collection is its focus on drawings. This exhibition introduces works that help visitors understand the artist and his art, such as lithographs, posters, and illustrations. It also includes magazines and books where Lautrec was involved in creating designs, as well as letters from Lautrec and photos of the artist taken by his peers.

Rei Naito: come and live - go and live

This exhibition was first conceived when Rei Naito encountered the Tokyo National Museum’s collection and architecture. She discovered a human soul that resonated with her own creativity in the clay objects of the Jōmon period. This feeling was born out of prehistoric people’s awe towards nature, in which Naito found “compassion permeating inside and outside of life.” The exhibition spaces, illuminated by natural light, evoke the realms of life and death, as well as the intimate harmony that endured between humans and nature as well as humans and other living beings. Through this exhibition, you're invited to experience the spirituality and creative power that connect us with the people of ancient times.

Takada Kenzo: Chasing Dreams

Takada Kenzo was one of the first Japanese fashion designers to become established in Paris, where his highly original ideas resulted in the successive creation of countless looks that redefined fashion. Takada’s designs effortlessly transcended national boundaries, culture and gender to suggest a new style of clothing that was not dictated by the existing Eurocentric cultural tradition. Even today, his designs are still loved all over the world. This exhibition is the first large-scale solo exhibition since Takada Kenzo’s tragic death in 2020 and will showcase his garments to reveal how Takada’s designs changed over the years. Also included in the exhibition are his paintings which he first began creating as a young child, the reference materials which inspired his ideas, as well as his fashion design sketches. Kenzo's career will be presented from a number of different perspectives to enable visitors to reflect on the lifelong creative career of Takada Kenzo, the pioneering Japanese designer who made the world his stage.

Takada Kenzo Event Details and Location

Frontiers of Impressionism: Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum

To commemorate the 150th year since The First Impressionist Exhibition was held in Paris, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum is holding “Frontiers of Impressionism: Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum.” Organized by the Worcester Art Museum, this exhibition follows the birth of impressionism as a groundbreaking force upending the established conventions of Western art and further, its influence and impact across Europe and the US, with a focus more specifically on the artists and the art world of America. The vast majority of the works on display have never been shown in Japan before and are drawn almost exclusively from the Worcester Art Museum collection. It includes pieces by such French titans as Monet and Renoir, impressionists of Germany and Scandinavia, together with American expatriate painter John Singer Sargent and the iconic Childe Hassam.

Well-Being for Human and Nature Exhibit

This immersive media art exhibit questions what a coexistence between humans, nature and technology looks like.

In the technological art space of SusHi Tech Square, explore the works of innovative creators and consider how we can better interact with advancing technology and nature.

Earth Angels Group Exhibition

Identity and Femininity through Art

Street Dreams Studios Tokyo is pleased to announce the opening of the group exhibition “Earth Angels,” featuring artists Kalin Lawrence, Riko Shuri Monma, and Aina Yamauchi. The exhibition will commence on Saturday, August 10, 2024.

This group exhibition explores themes of individual identity, femininity and personal connections to the Earth through the works of three emerging artists. The title “Earth Angels” actively expresses strength from a female perspective, with the concept of drawing deep human connections to the viewers and the art world.

The three participating artists powerfully and unapologetically express their identities within the context of female art and community. The exhibition will showcase a range of works from portraits and textiles to abstract gesture painting by these female artists.

Earth Angels Group Exhibition Event Details and Location

Poul Kjærholm: Timeless Minimalism

This exhibition features one of the greatest furniture designers of 20th century Denmark, Poul Kjærholm (1929–1980). Mid-century Scandinavian furniture is often characterized by warm wood tones. The works of Kjærholm, in comparison, stand out due to his preference for combining hard materials such as stone and metal, a choice that was unusual in his time. But the rigid profiles never give off a cold impression; instead, they evoke a subtle tension in the space. Kjærholm’s timeless clean lines and minimalist beauty resonate with Japanese architecture, garnering continued support among Japanese design enthusiasts. The exhibition will showcase a collection primarily curated from the extensive research and chair collection of Professor Noritsugu Oda (an honorary professor at Tokai University). It will be the first of its kind in Japan to exhibit Kjærholm’s most influential works. With the cooperation of Higashikawa Town in Hokkaido, home to the Oda Collection, it will introduce approximately 50 pieces of furniture and related documents. Kjærholm’s design philosophy and refined aesthetics of the furniture will be presented meticulously in an exhibition space designed by spirited architect Tsuyoshi Tane.

Wanoakari × Hyakudan Kaidan 2024 Light Exhibition

Japanese Arts & Crafts with Magical Illumination

The Wanoakari × Hyakudan Kaidan illumination exhibition is one of the most anticipated summertime Tokyo events, usually attracting over half a million visitors every year. The exhibition combines over 1,000 pieces of traditional Japanese arts and crafts with lights, creating a stunning visual experience. The art pieces come from both private individuals and organizations, and some are even brought from various regional festivals such as the giant paper lantern floats from the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri. Wanoakari × Hyakudan Kaidan is hosted at the Hotel Gajoen Tokyo in Meguro inside an 80-year-old wooden building with a 99-step staircase and seven Japanese-style rooms that are filled with illuminated artwork. This year's theme is "Enchanting Fairy Tales." The exhibit uses lights, music and fragrance to built a dream-like space. Walk around the exhibit and take in the magical glow of the lights and the duality between traditional Japanese art with a sprinkle of modern aesthetics.

Wanoakari × Hyakudan Kaidan 2023 Details and Location

Synesthesia Exhibition at What Museum

An Exhibit for All the Senses

The What Museum in Shinagawa will hold the exhibition "Synesthesia - The Five Senses Interacting Through Art" by Akihito Okunaka featuring a giant experimental balloon-shaped sculpture. The exhibit's encompassing theme is synesthesia, the perceptual phenomenon where the brain processes sensory information through multiple unrelated senses such as the feeling of tasting words or seeing music. Artist Okunaka has interpreted synesthesia in his own way and incorporated it into his work for this exhibition: he believes that the senses can be a way to connect nature, society and people. The formless elements of air, water and light are used as a medium to awaken guests' senses. By sensing the presence of something that is supposed to have no form, the concept is that you will feel a more profound connection with others. At the Synesthesia exhibition, you can touch, enter, lie down and interact with the artwork using your five senses. The highlight of the exhibit is the balloon installation with a 12-meter diameter. A large water balloon is placed inside the sculpture, refracting light and filling the room with various colors. The What Museum is a contemporary art collection. Okunaka was influenced by Bruno Latour, a philosopher who was mainly active in sociology and technology. Latour's ideas advocate for reexamination of humanity's existence between nature and society. With similar themes, Okunaka pursues to demonstrate the dynamics between people and things through the properties of air, water and light. Okunaka has held numerous workshops at art venues around Japan and hosted presentations of his large-scale experimental works both domestically and internationally. The exhibition will be in display until March 2025. A special workshop event will also be available for only one day on September 15 with Artist Okunaka himself as a guest lecturer. At the workshop, guests will be able to create a miniature version of the balloon sculpture to take home. By getting a glimpse of the production process of the artwork, guests can get a deeper understanding of the Okunaka's concept. Workshop capacity is 12 people on a first come, first served basis. Tickets are ¥1,000 and online tickets will be on sale on August 6th. Application details will be listed on the official website.

Synesthesia - The Five Senses Interacting Through Art Details and Location

A Personal View of Japanese Contemporary Art: Takahashi Ryutaro Collection

A Reputed Takahashi Ryutaro Collection

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT) presents the exhibition “A Personal View of Japanese Contemporary Art: Takahashi Ryutaro Collection." Comprising over 3,500 items, the Takahashi Ryutaro Collection is reputed as one of the most important collections of Japanese contemporary art in terms of both quality and quantity. A showcase of outstanding works by artists with a highly critical mindset, this exhibition explores the state of contemporary Japan from the specific viewpoint of a 1946-born art collector.

"A Personal View of Japanese Contemporary Art" Event Details and Location

Keiichi Tanaami: Adventures in Memory

Keiichi Tanaami takes center stage for his first major retrospective this autumn, celebrating his life and 60-year career of his signature “psychedelic death pop” style. From Tanaami's early days as the first art director of the Japanese edition of Playboy to his role in the Japanese underground art scene, the artist's eclectic oeuvre spans paintings, collages, animations and installations, boasting an impressive lineup of brand collaborations — from Dior to Mattel — along the way. Often explicit, always bold; expect mind-melting graphics from this kaleidoscopic trailblazer of modern Japanese art.

Haniwa: Tomb Sculptures of Japan

Adorable Ancient Tomb Decorations Galore

"Haniwa" have been gathered from all over Japan on an unprecedented scale to be put on display at the Tokyo National Museum. Haniwa (terra-cotta tomb figurines) are unglazed clay figures that were displayed in the tombs of kings. The origin of Haniwa dates back to about 1,750 years ago. During the 350 years of the Kofun period, unique Haniwa were made for each period and region, and they tell us about the livelihoods of the kings at that time. From simple and "soft" figures and adorable animals to elaborate armors and houses, this exhibition is full of the charms of haniwa. Please look forward to the first haniwa exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum in about half a century.

Haniwa: Tomb Sculptures of Japan Event Details and Location