• Museum Director’s
  Message
• Our Vision

Museum Director’s Message

Welcome to the Yokohama Museum of Art.

When the Yokohama Museum of Art opened in 1989, it was one of the first buildings in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai 21 district, a new city center. Since then, it has functioned as a comprehensive art center, with three pillars: Seeing art in our exhibitions, Creating art in our workshops, and Learning about art in our library. Our collection now includes around 15,000 works of art. We hold creative workshops and other educational and outreach programs about 400 times annually, and our library holdings total 240,000 volumes.*

This building was designed by Tange Kenzo, postwar Japan’s leading architect, and the delightful Art Plaza is located in front of it. The museum closed for major renovations in 2021, reopening in 2025. The Grand Gallery, our vast entrance hall, which can be enjoyed free of charge, is the most striking feature of this building. With all sorts of seating placed throughout, visitors are invited to choose a spot that appeals to them and relax.

With our reopening, we have made being a place for people from all walks of life the principle behind our many programs. We are particularly investing energy in carrying out exhibitions, talks, and creative programs for children, who are our future.

Museums have long been thought of as “places to learn about art.” But art is not the goal, it is the inspiration. Art opens the door to encounters with new things that move the heart, providing a touch of fresh vitality. That is the experience we hope all our visitors will take home with them.

View an exhibition. Take part in a program. Just sit and watch the people going by. Experience a special time, found nowhere else: Welcome to the Yokohama Museum of Art.

* As of 2025