The Ohara Museum of Art in the Bikan Historical Area is one of Kurashiki’s proud cultural institutions.
Its rich collection of exhibits is so captivating that you can lose track of time as you explore.
Rooted in the local community, the museum draws many art lovers from Japan and abroad. On April 1, 2024, its foundation name and organizational structure were changed, and a new challenge began for the Ohara Museum of Art under a new structure rarely seen in Japan.
Under the new structure, the newly established Ohara Institute for the Arts will operate the Ohara Museum of Art and the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum.
What changes will come about as a result of the institute operating the museums?
Here is a report on the press conference held on March 22, 2024.
The information presented here is current as of the article’s publication in May 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Ohara Museum of Art
Established in 1930, the Ohara Museum of Art is Japan’s first private museum centered on Western art.
The museum displays works gathered from around the world, including those by internationally renowned Western painters such as El Greco, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, and Henri Matisse; modern Japanese art; crafts by artists involved in the Mingei movement; and ancient Oriental and East Asian art.
In addition to operating the museum, it has also devoted considerable effort to educational outreach and social initiatives.
On April 1, 2024, the Ohara Museum of Art Public Interest Incorporated Foundation changed its name to the “Ohara Foundation for the Arts” and established the Ohara Institute for the Arts.
It also merged with the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, and the Ohara Institute for the Arts will operate the two museums, the Ohara Museum of Art and the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum.
It is unusual for an institute to operate museums, and this is said to be a new challenge for the Ohara Museum of Art as well.
The Ohara Museum of Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2030. What was the aim of making organizational changes at this point?
The press conference
The press conference was held on March 22, 2024, at the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery.
Background to the foundation name and organizational changes
The first to take the microphone was Akane Ohara, representative director of the Ohara Museum of Art Public Interest Incorporated Foundation (at the time of the interview).
After briefly introducing the venue, the Kojima Torajiro Memorial Gallery, she explained the purpose and background of the organizational changes.
The Ohara Museum of Art and the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum are rooted in the region and have shared a long history with the local community.
“It felt natural to us for the two museums to become one,” said Akane Ohara.
The organizational changes established a new structure in which an institute operates the museums. She explained the purpose as follows:
“We define art as a living witness to its era. Through research, we listen to the voices of works of art—in other words, living witnesses—and hope to convey those voices to everyone through the archaeological museum and the museums.”
Mission, vision, and concept of the Ohara Foundation for the Arts
Next, she introduced the mission, vision, and concept of the Ohara Foundation for the Arts.
- Mission: With deep trust in art, scholarship, and Mingei, we continually share new insights and contribute to hope for the future.
- Vision: We will create a strong yet flexible society, built through the resonance of the power of place in academia.
- Concept: The study of art is the study of humanity.
The concept particularly caught my interest.
The phrase “art is a living witness to its era” came up, and I got the impression that works of art are treated not merely as objects, but almost as people. I felt a deep respect and sincerity toward works of art.
Their work will go beyond the study of art alone, delving further into what people and society really are.
The new organization also aims for diversity among its officers. In the organizational chart distributed at the conference, many women’s names appeared in department head and section chief positions. Akane Ohara said, “We hope you will look forward to the Ohara Foundation for the Arts as a new organization led by women.”
Greetings from the director of the Ohara Institute for the Arts and the director of the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum
Next came remarks from Shuji Takashina, who will become director of the Ohara Institute for the Arts.
Takashina served as director of the Ohara Museum of Art for more than 20 years, beginning in 2002, and retired in July 2023.
Speaking about the Ohara Institute for the Arts, Takashina said, “Art and culture are forms of international exchange, and I believe it is important to expand them going forward. I hope the institute will work with overseas institutions to broaden exchange and conduct research that connects history from the past to the future.”
Next to speak was Atsushi Miura, who currently serves as director of the Ohara Museum of Art.
Miura will become director of the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum and deputy director of the Ohara Institute for the Arts.
At the outset, he said, “I am personally delighted that we have been able to realize, with the Ohara Museum of Art as our foundation, Japan’s first attempt to have an institute operate a museum. I am also pleased to be involved in supporting it as deputy director.”
“Although the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum and the Ohara Museum of Art have different histories and origins, I believe that working together while preserving their individuality will make them more valuable museums.”
At an earlier press conference announcing the new director, Miura highlighted the keywords “sharing and exchange.” He said that “sharing and exchange” also apply to the activities of the institute for the arts.
About the special exhibition “Can Different Cultures Resonate? Opening the Door to Modernity through the Ohara Collection”
At the end of the press conference, Atsushi Miura, director of the Ohara Museum of Art, introduced the special exhibition “Can Different Cultures Resonate? Opening the Door to Modernity through the Ohara Collection.”
The exhibition will be held at the Ohara Museum of Art from Tuesday, April 23, to Monday, September 23, 2024 (substitute holiday).
According to Miura, with the museum’s 100th anniversary approaching, the time has come to reconsider the Ohara Collection. The fundamental theme of the exhibition will be the questions, “What is modern art? What was modernity like?”
Modernity can be seen as an era in which various cultures were shared and blended.
With new displays shaped by the perspective of cultural exchange, and a recreation of the era through artworks and documents, the exhibition will offer a fresh perspective on the works and the appeal of the Ohara Museum of Art.
Miura expressed his enthusiasm for the exhibition, saying, “I hope we can create a new exhibition that will mark the beginning of the Ohara Institute for the Arts.”
From the Writer
The Ohara Museum of Art has a history spanning more than 90 years.
The organizational changes show me that it is precisely by evolving with the times that the museum can continue for many years.
With an institute operating the museums, I believe that conveying the meaning of artworks and the voices of their time more vividly will be a great attraction for visitors as well.
It looks set to become a museum that even those who have visited many times can enjoy from a new perspective.
Be sure to visit the Ohara Museum of Art and the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum as they begin under their new structure.
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The activities carried out by the three organizations—the Ohara Institute for the Arts, the Ohara Museum of Art, and the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum—will include not only the research, preservation and exhibition of the collection, and scholarly exchange that we have pursued to date, but also activities leading up to the Ohara Museum of Art’s 100th anniversary and our community partnerships, which we hope to share with everyone.
The Ohara Museum of Art, established in 1930, was founded so that the general public could see works that Kojima Torajiro had encountered through exchange. It became a foundation five years after its establishment, with the aim of becoming a museum that would help build the future.
The Kurashiki Archaeological Museum opened after World War II, with donations from local residents, to share with everyone the history of the region dating back to Kibi. The Kurashiki Archaeological Museum is part of the community and open to its residents.
By bringing these two museums together under the Ohara name, we hope to open up a new future.