We introduce information on special exhibitions held in celebration of the 30th Anniversary.
30th Anniversary Special Exhibition Schedule
- Upcoming
Resonance: Kanjiro Kawai × Shoji Hamada - From the Tamesaburo Yamamoto Collection
- Pending
Georges Rouault (TBD)
- Pending
Moto Hagio: Legend of Girl's Manga (TBD)
Claude Monet
Commemorating the 30th Year of the Museum’s Opening and the Centennial of the Artist’s Death
Special Exhibitions
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UpcomingResonance: Kanjiro Kawai × Shoji Hamada - From the Tamesaburo Yamamoto Collection
Read moreRead moreTamesaburo Yamamoto (1893-1966), the first president of Asahi Breweries (now Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.), enthusiastically supported the mingei (folk crafts) movement from its early phase. The main part of the museum's Tamesaburo Yamamoto Collection comprises works by Kanjiro Kawai (1890-1966) and Shoji Hamada (1894-1978), both being key figures in the mingei movement. This exhibition traces the lives and artistic developments of these two artists, who met during their student days and remained closely connected through a lifelong friendship.
Kawai and Hamada met each other during their student days at Tokyo Higher Technical School (now Institute of Science Tokyo) and worked together at the Kyoto Municipal Ceramics Laboratory. In 1926, they began the mingei movement together with a few other people, including philosopher Soetsu Yanagi. Kawai and Hamada maintained a close friendship throughout their lives. Tracing their footsteps, this exhibition will showcase works of the two artists, who pursued their own ways of art while resonating with each other.
Claude Monet Commemorating the 30th Year of the Museum’s Opening and the Centennial of the Artist’s Death
Have an Immersive Experience of Monet’s Masterpieces
in a Unique Space Harmonized with the Garden and Surrounding Nature
The museum, which is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of its opening, has a circular exhibition room for Claude Monet’s Water-Lilies in the Underground Jewelry Box annex designed by Architect Tadao Ando. You can reach the room by going through the corridor that connects the over 100-year-old main building named “Oyamazaki Villa” to the semi-subterranean annex.
Throughout the year 2026, which marks the 30th Anniversary of the opening of the museum, all eight Monet paintings in the possession of the museum will be on exhibit together for the first time in 10 years. They are five Water-Lilies paintings and three other paintings including Japanese Bridge, which constitute one of the major collections of the museum.
Dates
March 20, 2026 (Fri., national holiday) ― April 11, 2027 (Sun)
*Some exhibits will be changed during the exhibition period.
Venue
Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art “Underground Jewelry Box annex (South Wing)”
Closed
Mondays; June 2, 2026; September 7–18; December 7–18; and New Year holidays. *When Monday is a national holiday, the museum will be closed the following day (open on May 5, September 22, and November 24, 2026). *Open on March 30, April 6, and November 30, 2026, as well as March 29 and April 5, 2027.
Opening
10:00–17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
Admission
Included in the admission fee for the concurrently held special exhibition.
Organizers
Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art
Support
Kyoto Prefecture, Town of Oyamazaki, Oyamazaki Board of Education, The Kyoto Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun Kyoto Bureau, Asahi Shimbun Kyoto Bureau, Mainichi Shimbun Kyoto Branch, Sankei Shimbun Kyoto Bureau, NHK Kyoto Broadcasting Station, FM Kyoto
Underground Jewelry Box annex
The Underground Jewelry Box annex, where Monet’s paintings are on exhibition, was designed by Architect Tadao Ando.
The annex was added to the Oyamazaki Villa when it was turned into a museum 30 years ago. It is semi-buried underground to harmonize with the surrounding natural landscape, with greenery planted on top of the cylindrical gallery. Visitors can view green trees through the glass windows located above the bare concrete corridor and stairs connecting the main building to the exhibition room before being ushered to the quiet exhibition room.
Virtual Monet Gallery
Please visit the virtual Monet gallery to view the online collection of Monet’s paintings, which we have opened by using the newly captured high-resolution images of his paintings.
View the collection