In Photos: The Venus of a New Age!
The retrospective marks a century of Art Deco.
Cover photo: Posing outside the exhibition The Venus of a New Age! Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Art Deco at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan (2025). Photo by Danny With Love.
Art Deco Centennial
This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. Art Deco (arts décoratifs) reflected the optimism of modernity through geometry and ornamentation. It touched everything from architecture to cars, fashion, and advertising. Twenty nations participated in the event and the style spread across the globe from France to Japan.
At the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka, the major exhibition The Venus of a New Age! Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Art Deco retraces this legacy. It’s marvelous! The show places a particular emphasis on women, investigating their roles as muse and consumer.
In my personal opinion, Art Deco represents the peak of humanity’s creative output. It was practical, global, and beautiful like nothing seen before or since. I was especially pleased to see posters by Adolphe Cassandre and jewelry by René Lalique (photography of these works was not permitted).
Osaka Art Deco Landmarks
Lastly, the show concludes with a presentation of Art Deco landmarks found across the city of Osaka. Please note that Osaka Club and the Harada Corporation head office are generally closed to the public.
I especially recommend a visit to the historic department store Daimaru Shinsaibashi, conveniently located near the popular tourist area Dotonbori. The Arabesque details are stunning and don’t miss the phoenix sculptures by artist Kohei Nawa (名和 晃平).
Osaka Club (1924) by Magoichi Noguchi / CLOSED
Daibiru-Honkan Building (1925/2013) by Setsu Watanabe with Togo Murano and Tachu Naito / OPEN
Shibakawa Building (1927) by Goro Shibuya and Otohiko Honma / OPEN
Harada Corporation office (1928) by Shoukou Ogasawara / CLOSED
Sugasawa Eye Clinic Building (1929) / OPEN
Ikoma Building (1930) by Hyozo So / OPEN
Central Electric Club (1930) by Soichiro Kadono / OPEN
Edobori Kodama Building (1935) by Okamoto Construction / OPEN
Daimaru Shinsaibashi (1933) by William Merrell Vories / OPEN
Yasuda Building (1936) / OPEN
Access
The Venus of a New Age! Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Art Deco is open at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka through January 4th, 2026. The museum is open from 10:00 to 17:00 (5:00 PM) with last entry at 16:30 (4:30 PM). It’s regularly closed on Mondays, and will be closed for the New Year holidays, December 31st and January 1st. Tickets are 2,000 yen (approx. 13 USD) per person.
