2022 exhibition information

The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, which has organized exhibitions spanning a wide variety of modern and contemporary genres, will offer visitors a unique museum experience in Kyoto by planning the following lineup for fiscal year 2022.

Held in the main building, Ornate Meiji Period Art: Shining Kyoto Artists of the Imperial Court (provisional title) introduces 19 Imperial Court artists with ties to Kyoto with a focus on the Meiji Period. The Imperial Court artist system was established in 1890 by the Ministry of the Imperial Household to honor and protect outstanding artists and craftsmen. Considered the front-runners of the art world, only a handful of artists were selected. In addition to encouraging art, the purpose behind the system’s establishment was to help painters and craftspeople facing hardship after losing the protection of the shogunate and other fiefdoms following the Meiji Restoration, while also preserving their exceptional skills. The Imperial Court artists were bestowed the highest honor and authority in the art world of their time, and many artists with ties to Kyoto were selected to join the system throughout its duration until 1944. Visitors are invited to experience the skill and beauty of Meiji Period Kyoto through masterpieces that have been celebrated as the greatest of their kind.

Higashiyama Cube, a new building for contemporary art exhibitions, presents Visionaries (provisional title) under the supervision of Kawakami Noriko, who has been researching and speculating in the field of design. This exhibition will focus on the proposals and expressions of about 20 up-and-coming artists and designers who boldly transcend the status quo to present new perspectives.

The Museum Collection currently consists of approximately 3,800 works of Kyoto modern art comprising Japanese paintings, Western-style paintings, sculpture, prints, crafts, and calligraphy. In particular, the Collection includes masterpieces representative of Japanese painting made by Kyoto artists between the Meiji and Showa periods, making it one of the leading collections of such works in Japan.  Newly built at the time of the Museum’s renewal, the Collection Room will introduce masterpieces by popular artists representative of Kyoto and feature exhibits on various themes to provide visitors with a full experience of the fascination of Kyoto art. 

Since the first year of the Museum’s renewal opening, The Triangle—its newly created space—has introduced new talents centered on artists associated with Kyoto, providing an opportunity for citizens and visitors to experience contemporary art. In 2022, three emerging artists Hikosaka Toshiaki, Fujita Sae, Yahata Aki will be introduced.  

For events other than exhibitions organized by the Museum, please refer to the following press release, which contains information on events that have already been announced by respective organizers.

Read the press release in full here.

For media enquiries, please contact pr@kyoto-museum.jp.