Installation view of Gallery 9 "Glass and Light"
Photo: KATO Ken
Collection Exhibition
(Jiyu Area)
What is Jiyu Area?
“To be a place where everyone is respected and can be themselves.”
Our Vision for the Yokohama Museum of Art begins with these words. The museum’s Jiyu Area is perhaps the purest embodiment of this desire—and it is open to the public free of charge! Pieces from the collection are dotted here and there. So please visit as often as you like and take your time to enjoy the art in this relaxed environment.
Squares and Circles
[Grand Gallery / Free admission]
Throughout the Yokohama Museum of Art, you can spot circle and square motifs in all sorts of places. The great staircase in the Grand Gallery is one example.
Natural light streams through the glass ceiling and its retractable louvers, giving the great staircase a quality that shifts with the seasons and the time of day. On the landings, with curved and angular elements, that fan out on either side, we present a selection of sculptures. The landings also feature shelves stocked with books related to the collection.
Take your time in this airy, expansive space: gather around the works and chat, let your mind wander, or enjoy the moment any way you like.
Installation view of Grand Gallery
Photo: SHINTSUBO Kenshu
The Glimmer of Gilt and Glaze
[Corridor / Free admission]
After the opening of Yokohama Port in 1859, a range of goods were being produced nearby—for export and selling to the residents of the new foreign settlement in the city. Ceramics were one of them.
For this exhibition, ceramics works have been chosen from the collection focusing on the “light” emitted by gilt and glaze. Tiny gilt dots lend an indescribable sparkle to the pieces, while their glassy-surfaced glazes glitter sometimes vividly and sometimes faintly. The longer you look at them, the more their personalities are revealed.
MIYAGAWA Kozan I
Large vase with rooster design in white relief
late Meiji Era (late 19th century–early 20th century)
ceramic
Long-term loan from Tanabe Tetsundo Collection
Glass and Light
[Gallery 9 / Free admission]
During its recent major renovation, the museum got a brand new glass-walled gallery. Bright, sunlit and offering views both in and out, this compact new gallery will now host an exhibition of glass objects from the collection. Even the museum curators gasped at the beauty of the natural light playing on the assembled artworks. Viewed in the morning or the evening, and from inside or outside, the works appear different every time you look at them. So please stop by whenever you can－even if you’re just out for a walk or shopping.
Stanislav LIBENSKÝ / Jaroslava BRYCHTOVÁ
"Arcus"
1991
glass, cast, cut, polished
76.0 x 100.0 x 10.0 cm
OMURA Shunji
"Creation"
1997
glass, fusing
56.5 x 42.0 x 42.0 cm
Outline
- Dates
- April 25 – June 28, 2026
- Venue
- Grand Gallery, Corridor, Gallery 9
- Hours
- 10:00 – 18:00
*Admission until 30 minutes before closing.
- Closed
- Thursdays *Open during Golden Week on April 30 and May 7
- Admission
- Free