Located in the Bikan Historical Area, Ohara Museum of Art is one of Kurashiki’s most iconic museums.
Its permanent exhibitions feature a wide range of works, from modern Western art to contemporary art from Japan and abroad, making it popular with tourists as well as local residents.
If the permanent exhibition is “the Ohara Museum of Art as usual,” then the special exhibition “Can Different Cultures Resonate? Opening the Door to Modernity through the Ohara Collection”, held from Tuesday, April 23 to Monday, September 23, 2024 (a public holiday), offers a different kind of appeal.
What kind of exhibition is this different take on the Ohara Museum of Art?
Here is a report on the opening ceremony and preview held ahead of its opening to the public.
The information presented was current when this article was published in June 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Ohara Museum of Art
The Ohara Museum of Art was established in 1930 as Japan’s first private museum devoted primarily to Western art.
It comprises the Main Building, the Annex (currently closed), and the Crafts and Oriental Art Gallery, and houses approximately 3,000 works.
Its wide-ranging collection includes Western works such as El Greco’s “The Annunciation” and Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies,” as well as modern and contemporary Japanese works and works by artists associated with the Mingei movement.
The historic Ohara Museum of Art changed the name of its foundation to the Ohara Art Foundation in April 2024. The foundation, which also operates the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum, has embarked on a new chapter.
At the same time, the Ohara Institute for the Arts was newly established. It has announced that it will serve as a place where researchers from various fields gather, exchange ideas, take on challenges, and create, with “art” as its theme.
The special exhibition “Can Different Cultures Resonate? Opening the Door to Modernity through the Ohara Collection” is being held to mark the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Ohara Museum of Art.
About the special exhibition “Can Different Cultures Resonate? Opening the Door to Modernity through the Ohara Collection”
The special exhibition “Can Different Cultures Resonate? Opening the Door to Modernity through the Ohara Collection” (hereafter, “the special exhibition”) draws on the Ohara Museum of Art’s rich history and collection to offer a new perspective on modern art and the appeal of the Ohara Museum of Art.
| Venue | Ohara Museum of Art, Main Building |
|---|---|
| Exhibition period | April 23–September 23, 2024 |
| Opening hours | 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (last admission at 4:30 p.m.) |
| Admission | Admission to the Ohara Museum of Art (valid for the Main Building and Crafts and Oriental Art Gallery) Adults: ¥2,000 High school, junior high, and elementary school students (under 18): ¥500 Children under elementary school age: Free |
A major difference from the Ohara Museum of Art’s usual focus on its permanent exhibition is that it highlights modern art, a core part of the collection, and presents it in four sections organized around the special exhibition’s theme.
- Section 1: Kojima Torajiro, a cultural boundary-crosser
- Section 2: West and Japan—The intersection of Western art and modern Japanese art
- Section 3: East-West exchange—Focusing on “Shirakaba” and “Mingei”
- Section 4: The resonance of modernity and the contemporary
The exhibition offers ways to view the works that differ from the permanent exhibition, including displays arranged around hubs of cultural exchange and presentations pairing artworks with documents.
Some familiar works are displayed in different places than usual. Even those who have visited the Ohara Museum of Art many times can enjoy the collection from a new perspective.
The special exhibition was curated by Miura Atsushi, Director of the Ohara Museum of Art. The exhibition also incorporates the research findings of the curatorial staff, led by Director Miura.
The exhibition is truly emblematic of the Ohara Museum of Art, which is embarking on a new chapter as a research institution as well.
The day before the exhibition opened, an opening ceremony and a preview were held to mark the occasion. Here is a report on what took place.
A festive opening ceremony with a ribbon-cutting
After checking in, I noticed a design on the pillars at the front of the Ohara Museum of Art that is not usually there. It was the special exhibition’s key visual, also featured on the posters and flyers.
The vivid red-based colors and the striking title of the special exhibition, “Can Different Cultures Resonate?”, made me feel that a major turning point was coming for the Ohara Museum of Art.
About 150 people had gathered that day, including members of the supporters’ association, school representatives, and members of the press. Their expressions showed how much they had been looking forward to the occasion.
The opening ceremony began with remarks from Director Miura.
Remarks by Miura Atsushi, Director of the Ohara Museum of Art
Miura (hereafter, without honorifics)
As you all know, the Ohara Institute for the Arts was established in April 2024, and the Ohara Museum of Art, together with the Kurashiki Archaeological Museum, has begun new activities as a museum belonging to the institute.
This exhibition, “Can Different Cultures Resonate? Opening the Door to Modernity through the Ohara Collection,” is the project that symbolizes the new Ohara Museum of Art’s fresh start.
For many years, the Ohara Museum of Art has presented a diverse collection of high quality: artworks centered on Western paintings collected by the painter Kojima Torajiro with the support of Ohara Magosaburo; Kojima’s own works; modern Japanese Western-style paintings collected during the time of Ohara Soichiro; contemporary art from the West and Japan; and works by artists associated with the Mingei movement.
We are proud that, through this work, we have led Japan’s artistic culture and fulfilled an important role in serving the public interest.
That role has not disappeared, but the times and circumstances surrounding museums continue to change moment by moment.
Our decision to hold a special exhibition in a form entirely different from our conventional permanent displays is also intended to take the first step toward a new era.
This exhibition identifies “exchange between different cultures” as a defining feature of the modern art abundantly held by the Ohara Museum of Art, and seeks to trace its reality through a rearranged display.
We are now confronted with a reality in which clashes between different cultures are all too visible, but we hope you will fully experience how modern artistic cultures resonated with one another.
Ribbon-cutting ceremony
Director Miura’s words conveyed a powerful determination to “reconsider the significance of the Ohara Museum of Art and the value of its many collections.”
After remarks from the co-hosts and guests, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held.
Among those at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Takashina Shuji, Director of the Ohara Institute for the Arts, and Ohara Akane, Representative Director of the Ohara Art Foundation.
The special exhibition opened to lively music and a round of applause.
The preview revealed new ways to enjoy the Ohara Collection
After the opening ceremony, Director Miura and Representative Director Ohara opened the front doors as part of a special presentation. At the emcee’s cue, the doors opened and the preview began. The special exhibition’s key visual, once again visible on the pillar directly opposite the entrance, caught the eye.
At the permanent exhibition, the pillar directly opposite the entrance usually displays Kojima Torajiro’s work “Belgian Girl in a Kimono”. Noticing the major difference from the permanent exhibition even before entering the building heightened my excitement.
Upon entering the museum, I was struck by how different the atmosphere was from the usual Ohara Museum of Art. Not just me, but many visitors were taking in the entire room. Many people visiting that day had been to the Ohara Museum of Art several times, and the special exhibition itself seemed to feel fresh to them.
Changing the display locations also greatly changes the atmosphere throughout the museum. I felt the immense presence of each work in the Ohara Collection.
Another striking feature was the abundance of explanatory text about the themes and artworks. Almost every work had an accompanying description, giving the impression that a wealth of information was available.
Even first-time visitors to the Ohara Museum of Art will be able to appreciate the works while learning about them.
Reading the explanatory text also offers clues for considering the special exhibition’s title: “Do Different Cultures Resonate with One Another?”
Learning about historical contexts and the characteristics of artworks that are not readily apparent from looking at them alone makes it possible to compare them with other works that share similar characteristics. The question “Do Different Cultures Resonate with One Another?” can be interpreted in your own way by comparing and viewing the works. Tools beyond the artworks themselves guide visitors toward viewing them from a variety of perspectives.
I felt this was an exhibition that could be enjoyed from a fresh perspective, both by people encountering the Ohara Collection for the first time and by those wanting to experience it from a different angle than before.
From the Writer
After the opening ceremony, Director Miura spoke to members of the press about the exhibition’s highlights:
I love the Ohara Museum of Art and have visited many times, but I think it was precisely because the place and the artworks were familiar that the special exhibition, with its changed display methods, felt even fresher.
Be sure to experience this special exhibition, available for a limited time.
Articles about the Ohara Museum of Art
Ohara Museum of Art Information
| Name | Ohara Museum of Art |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1-15 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-0005 |
| Parking | None |
| Opening hours | 【December–February】 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. (last admission: 2:30 p.m.) 【March–November】 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (last admission: 4:30 p.m.) |
| Closed | Mondays Open when a Monday falls on a national holiday or substitute holiday Closed during the winter; may also close temporarily |
| Admission (tax included) | 【General admission】 Adults: ¥2,000 High school, junior high school, and elementary school students (under 18): ¥500 |
| Payment methods |
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| Reservations | Available No reservation required for individuals |
| Smoking | Entire facility is non-smoking |
| Restrooms | Western-style restrooms, accessible restrooms |
| Families with children | Nursing room, diaper-changing tables, stroller rental The nursing room is in the Craft Museum Diaper-changing tables are on the second floor of the Main Building and in the Craft Museum |
| Accessibility | Wheelchair rental, ramps, accessible restrooms, elevator |
| Website | Ohara Museum of Art Official Website |
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There are so many highlights that I think you’ll find something worthwhile wherever you look.
For example, in Chapter 2, we arranged Western paintings and modern Western-style paintings so visitors could compare them by themes such as “Multiculturalism,” “Nudity,” and “Religion and Faith.”
Many exhibitions allow comparisons by era or region, but this one lets you compare works through themes that are rarely explored, so I think you’ll be able to view them with a fresh perspective.
I hope this exhibition will help, even a little, to break the image of the Ohara Museum of Art as a “museum focused on its permanent collection.”