Exhibitions
2024 - 2025 Schedule
*Exhibition title and dates are subject to change.
20th Anniversary Exhibition / The Wright Imperial Hotel at 100
Frank Lloyd Wright and the World
Frank Lloyd Wright is celebrated as one of America’s most famous modern architects, noted for masterworks such as Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum. Recent scholarship examining the vast scope of his archives illuminates the breadth of his vision from art, architecture, and design to writing, landscape, education, construction and urbanism, and offers a fresh overall perspective. His designs draw from his travels and passions connecting different landscapes and cultures around the world. The 1923 completion of his Imperial Hotel in Tokyo marks a juncture of this broad practice and design pursuit, making him arguably one of the world's first global architects. Upon the centenary of the Imperial’s completion, this exhibition showcases Wright’s architectural drawings and a wide variety of other materials, providing inspiration today and for the world yet to come.
Thermae: Ancient Rome, Japan, and the Joy of Bathing
One of the most prosperous civilizations in history was ancient Rome, where the population enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle and advanced architectural techniques epitomized by the ubiquitous thermae, or public bathhouse. Through videos, models, and over 100 works of art—including paintings, sculptures, and archaeological finds from the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, —this exhibition introduces the lives of ancient Romans with a focus on the thermae. The exhibition also touches on the bathing culture of Japan, which has flourished as a result of the country’s natural topography and regional cultures, giving visitors the rare opportunity to compare the bathhouse cultures of ancient Rome and Japan.
Poul Kjærholm: Timeless Minimalism
Furniture by a Master of Modern Danish Design from the Oda Collection
As one of the greatest furniture designers of 20th-century Denmark, Poul Kjærholm (1929–1980) mastered the art of crafting furniture from wood but preferred the challenge of metal and stone—a choice that was unusual in his time. Over his 30-year career, he produced a succession of masterpieces that are still sought after today. This exhibition, the first of its kind in Japan, showcases Kjærholm’s most influential works, many of them on loan from the collection of Noritsugu Oda, an avid researcher and collector of chairs. The refined sculptural beauty of these pieces of furniture are reflected in the exhibition layout itself, which was designed by the architect Tsuyoshi Tane (ATTA).
Paris and La Belle Epoque– The Center of Avant-Garde Artists
With the Weisman & Michel Collection of Montmartre Artists
Paris during the Belle Epoque, the period from the late 19th century to roughly 1914, was characterized by a great flourishing of the arts. This exhibition presents a multifaceted look at the cultural movements that blossomed across all fields—fine arts, craft, theater, music, literature, fashion, and science and technology—from the Belle Epoque to the 1930s. Paintings and graphic art from the Weisman & Michel Collection in France—displayed in Japan for the first time—along with paintings, craft works, clothing, and rare books from collections across Japan, provide a glimpse into the lives of the people of Paris during this vibrant period.
Le Corbusier: Synthesis of the Arts 1930-1965
Le Corbusier (1887-1965) was not only a master of modern architecture but also a prolific artist. This exhibition presents his paintings, sculptures, and tapestries from the 1930s onward, highlighting his notion of a "synthesis of the arts" that postulates the unity of art, architecture and design. The exhibition also explores resonances between his works and those of other artists—such as Fernand Léger, Jean Arp and Wassily Kandinsky—and examines Le Corbusier's idealistic assumption that the modern era would mark the advent of a "final era of harmony." We are pleased to present this innovative overview of the work of one of the most creative minds of the 20th century.