June 28 (Sat.) – November 3 (Mon., nat. hol.), 2025
In 2025, Japan will mark 80 years since the end of World War II. This collection exhibition, which will be on display on 15 August, the day the war concluded, is organized around the theme of war and art. It will run concurrently with the “Sato Masahiko Exhibition.”
The title of the exhibition, “A Small Something for the Sake of Peace,” comes from the words of Tomura Hiroshi (1938–2025), an artist whose work was acquired during the museum’s recent renovations. Tomura, who was born in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War, used this phrase to express what he felt he must do as an artist, having himself survived the war relatively unscathed (he lost no relatives). The exhibition traces how artists living in times of conflict have faced war and society, and sought to resist inequality and violence through their art.
In addition to this collection exhibition, the museum will also display for the first time all 43 photographs from leading postwar photographer Narahara Ikko’s “Blue Yokohama” series, which were also acquired during the recent renovations. “Blue Yokohama” is an early series in the artist’s career, which he started after his first two solo exhibitions, “Human Land” (1956) and “Domains” (1958). Children playing in a residential area for U.S. soldiers in Japan, locals in Chinatown, foreign ships docked in the harbor at midnight—Narahara’s poetic gaze captures these and other images of a Yokohama that was a melting pot of cultures, inviting his viewers into a world of the unknown.
For the first time, the collection exhibition will also feature a highlights section introducing masterpieces from the collection. Works by Salvador Dalí, Paul Cézanne, and Nara Yoshitomo will be exhibited with special children’s commentary to help parents and children to enjoy these important works together.
Finally, a brand new series of collaborations between emerging artists and the museum collection will be launched. “Opening Dialogues - Toda Sayaka: Blooms in Silence” will be held in one of the galleries.
■A Small Something for the Sake of Peace
Robert Capa, Jean (Hans) Arp, Max Ernst, Kurt Schwitters, George Grosz, Man Ray, Meret Oppenheim, André Masson, John Armstrong, Joan Miró, Louis Marcoussis, Pablo Picasso, Vladimir Tatlin, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Otto Dix, Georges Braque, Fukuzawa Ichiro, Saito Yoshishige, Kitawaki Noboru, Okada Kenzo, Miyazaki Shin, Hamada Chimei, Tsuruoka Masao, Harada Masamichi, Isamu Noguchi, Sawada Kyoichi, Kawaguchi Tatsuo, Tomura Hiroshi, Kazama Sachiko
■Narahara Ikko, “Blue Yokohama”
Narahara Ikko
■Highlights: Salvador DALÍ, Paul CÉZANNE and NARA Yoshitomo
Salvador Dalí, Paul Cézanne, Nara Yoshitomo, Philippe Halsman, René Magritte
*Random order
1. To mark 80 years since the end of World War II, approximately 115 works from the collection will be exhibited, tracing the footsteps of creators who confronted the themes of war and society. The exhibition will be accompanied by “Opening Dialogues - Toda Sayaka: Blooms in Silence.”
2. Narahara Ikko’s “Blue Yokohama” series, which was never published as a book during his lifetime, will be exhibited for the first time in full. All of the prints from this series were acquired by the museum during its recent renovations. A photo book featuring this series, “Tokyo, the ’50s/Blue Yokohama,” is also scheduled for publication in late July 2025 (by Fukkan.com).
3. In a brand-new initiative, the collection exhibition will also include a highlights section introducing masterpieces by Salvador Dalí, Paul Cézanne, and Nara Yoshitomo. Easy-to-understand explanations will direct viewers’ attention to some surprising similarities in all three works. Last of all, special children’s commentary will be made available for parents and children to enjoy the works together! Don’t miss out!
