Japan in 2026: Major Art Exhibitions
A guide to major exhibitions across Japan in 2026.
Cover photo: Circus (サーカス), postcard, by Takehisa Yumeji [竹久 夢二] (1928). Via the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (color-corrected and cropped).
Art Exhibitions across Japan in 2026
Japan’s art scene is among the best in the world, presenting phenomenal exhibits of local and international artists. This year offers many unique opportunities to see Japanese cultural assets and European masterpieces.
Most notably, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a stellar lineup of shows in cooperation with the British Museum in London and Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
I’m especially excited for NAKED Meets Gaudí — a new collaboration between the Gaudí Foundation and Japanese creative agency NAKED — and an exclusive retrospective for pioneering Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, founder of the avant-garde Memphis Group.
A list of exciting shows follows below for your consideration.
Bringing Us Together: Art for the Noto Peninsula
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa / December 13, 2025 - March 1, 2026
Three venues across Kanazawa — 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, and the National Crafts Museum — are hosting a total 86 cultural assets to inspire healing and peace for the nearby Noto Peninsula, still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2024.
NAKED Meets Gaudí
Warehouse Terrada G1, Tokyo / January 10 - March 15
In partnership with the Gaudí Foundation in Barcelona, Japanese agency NAKED will present an immersive exhibition to mark the 100th anniversary of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí’s death. The collection will include never-before-seen letters, notes, and blueprints for the Sagrada Familia church.
CONNEXIONS: Artists as Bridges
Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art / February 7 - March 22
The newly opened Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art will celebrate its one-year anniversary with CONNEXIONS. Featuring an international collection of artists, the exhibit will explore connections across disciplines, cultures, and social backgrounds in the post-pandemic world.
Monet: Questioning Nature
Artizon Museum, Tokyo / Feb 7 - May 24
The Artizon Museum in Chuo, Tokyo, will present a major retrospective of French Impressionist painter Claude Monet. The exhibition will include 90 works on loan from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris as well as an additional 41 paintings held in collections across Japan.
YBA & BEYOND: British Art in the 90s from the Tate Collection
The National Art Center, Tokyo / February 11 - May 11
The National Art Center, Tokyo, will present about 100 works on loan from the Tate Collection in Britain. The exhibition YBA & BEYOND traces art of the Thatcher era and beyond, a time of radical creativity and experimentation.
UKIYOE: From Kiyochika to Hasui
Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo / Feb 19 - May 24
The Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum in Chiyoda, Tokyo, will stage UKIYOE: From Kiyochika to Hasui, tracing the twilight era of Japanese woodblock prints. Approximately 130 ukiyo-e and shin-hanga prints, as well as photographs, will be on loan from the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington.
Sorayama: Light, Transparency, Reflection
Creative Museum Tokyo / March 14 - May 31
The Creative Museum Tokyo in Chuo will stage the largest-ever collection of Japanese contemporary artist Hajime Sorayama (空山 基). Famed for his “Sexy Robots,” Sorayama has collaborated with Sony, Dior, and The Weeknd.
René Lalique: Elegant French Decorative Art Carrying on the Work of Émile Gallé and the Daum Frères
National Crafts Museum, Kanazawa / March 20 - June 14
The National Crafts Museum in Kanazawa will stage a retrospective of French Art Deco designer René Lalique with approximately 120 pieces from the museum’s collection, including jewelry, ceramics, tableware, and furniture.
Modern Urban Life and Takehisa Yumeji: Works from the Kawanishi Hide Collection
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto / March 28 - August 21
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, will stage a retrospective of illustrator Takehisa Yumeji (竹久 夢二), an artist synonymous with early 20th century pop culture in Japan. The show will feature a variety of media, as well as work from artists influenced by Yumeji.
Ettore Sottsass — Design Begins Where Magic Begins
Artizon Museum, Tokyo / June 23 - October 4
The Artizon Museum in Chuo, Tokyo, will stage a retrospective for pioneering Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, founder of the avant-garde Memphis Group (Memphis Milano). This is his first retrospective in Japan, showcasing 112 works exclusively collected by the museum’s Ishibashi Foundation.
Edo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum / July 25 - October 18
In celebration of the museum’s 100th anniversary, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum will present a selection of masterworks from the British Museum including screens, scrolls, and woodblock prints from the Edo period.
Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring
Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka / August 21 - September 27
Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s beloved Girl with a Pearl Earring will make a special appearance in Japan during renovations at the painting’s permanent home at the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague, Netherlands.
Masterpieces of the Renaissance from the Musée du Louvre
The National Art Center, Tokyo / September 9 - December 13
The National Art Center, Tokyo, will present a major exhibition of Renaissance art from across Europe. Over 50 works will be on loan from the Musée du Louvre in Paris, including Leonardo da Vinci’s La Belle Ferronnière (Portrait of an Unknown Woman) which will be displayed in Japan for the first time ever.
Tale of Genji — Brilliance of the Imperial Court
Kyoto National Museum / October 6 - November 29
The Kyoto National Museum will present the Tale of Genji — Brilliance of the Imperial Court, tracing the history of the famous Japanese novel by Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部). Approximately 250 cultural assets will be on display together in Kyoto for the first time in 50 years.
What a Wonderful World: Masterworks from the Musée d’Orsay
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum / November 14 - March 29, 2027
In celebration of the museum’s 100th anniversary, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum will present approximately 110 masterworks from the Musée d’Orsay, including paintings by Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Jean-François Millet, Claude Monet, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
