"Ron Mueck" Exhibition Opens Tomorrow, April 29 (Wed/Holiday) at Mori Art Museum
The Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain and the Mori Art Museum will host the "Ron Mueck" exhibition from April 29 to September 23, 2026. This marks the artist's second solo show in Japan in 18 years, featuring 11 sculptures including the massive "Mass" and several Japan premieres.
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The Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain and the Mori Art Museum are pleased to present the "Ron Mueck" exhibition from April 29 (Wed/Holiday) to September 23 (Wed/Holiday), 2026.
Ron Mueck (born 1958 in Australia, living in the UK) is a contemporary artist who has pushed the boundaries of figurative sculpture using innovative materials, techniques, and forms of expression. Based on meticulous observation of human beings and profound philosophical reflection, Mueck's works are sophisticated, full of life, and skillfully express inner human emotions and experiences such as loneliness, fragility, anxiety, and resilience. Since gaining attention for his participation in the "Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection" exhibition (1997) held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, he has held solo exhibitions around the world. This will be his second solo exhibition in Japan since his retrospective at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in 2008.
His sculptures, created much larger or smaller than actual people, are a challenge to our preconceptions about perception. At the same time, while approaching a reality that seems as if it could actually exist, they leave an ambiguity that encourages each viewer's interpretation and reflection. Mysterious yet possessing an overwhelming presence, they question our relationship with the body and with existence itself.
This exhibition was planned through the long-standing relationship between the artist and the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain. Starting with its holding at the foundation in Paris in 2023, it traveled through Milan and Seoul before opening at the Mori Art Museum. The exhibition features 11 works, from early masterpieces to recent pieces, centered around major works such as the large-scale sculpture "Mass" (2016-2017), providing deep insight into the trajectory of the artist's development. Six of these works are being shown in Japan for the first time, and the exhibition of the early masterpiece "Angel" (1997) will be a particularly rare opportunity. In addition, precious photographic and video works by French photographer and film director Gautier Deblonde, documenting the artist's studio and creative process, will also be presented, revealing how Mueck's incomparable sculptures are created.
Outline
Exhibition Name: Ron Mueck
Organizers: Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Mori Art Museum
Special Support: Australian Embassy
Grant: British Council
Sponsorship: Obayashi Corporation, Kajima Corporation
Curators: Kenichi Kondo (Adjunct Curator, Mori Art Museum), Charlie Clarke (Associate Curator of the exhibition), Chiara Agradi (Curator, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain)
Period: April 29 (Wed/Holiday) – September 23 (Wed/Holiday), 2026
Venue: Mori Art Museum (53F, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Opening Hours: 10:00-22:00 (Until 17:00 on Tuesdays, except for May 5, August 11, and September 22, when it is open until 22:00)
* Admission until 30 minutes before closing. Open every day during the exhibition period.
Admission:
[Weekdays]
- Adult: Door 2,300 yen / Online 2,100 yen
- Student (High school/University): Door 1,400 yen / Online 1,300 yen
- Junior High School and younger: Free
- Senior (65+): Door 2,000 yen / Online 1,800 yen
[Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays]
- Adult: Door 2,500 yen / Online 2,300 yen
- Student (High school/University): Door 1,500 yen / Online 1,400 yen
- Junior High School and younger: Free
- Senior (65+): Door 2,200 yen / Online 2,000 yen
* Prices include tax.
* Advance reservation (timed-entry ticket) is required. Timed-entry tickets can be purchased from various online sites.
Online ticket sales sites: Mori Art Museum Online Ticket, Trip.com, Klook
Ron Mueck (born 1958 in Australia, living in the UK) is a contemporary artist who has pushed the boundaries of figurative sculpture using innovative materials, techniques, and forms of expression. Based on meticulous observation of human beings and profound philosophical reflection, Mueck's works are sophisticated, full of life, and skillfully express inner human emotions and experiences such as loneliness, fragility, anxiety, and resilience. Since gaining attention for his participation in the "Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection" exhibition (1997) held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, he has held solo exhibitions around the world. This will be his second solo exhibition in Japan since his retrospective at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in 2008.
His sculptures, created much larger or smaller than actual people, are a challenge to our preconceptions about perception. At the same time, while approaching a reality that seems as if it could actually exist, they leave an ambiguity that encourages each viewer's interpretation and reflection. Mysterious yet possessing an overwhelming presence, they question our relationship with the body and with existence itself.
This exhibition was planned through the long-standing relationship between the artist and the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain. Starting with its holding at the foundation in Paris in 2023, it traveled through Milan and Seoul before opening at the Mori Art Museum. The exhibition features 11 works, from early masterpieces to recent pieces, centered around major works such as the large-scale sculpture "Mass" (2016-2017), providing deep insight into the trajectory of the artist's development. Six of these works are being shown in Japan for the first time, and the exhibition of the early masterpiece "Angel" (1997) will be a particularly rare opportunity. In addition, precious photographic and video works by French photographer and film director Gautier Deblonde, documenting the artist's studio and creative process, will also be presented, revealing how Mueck's incomparable sculptures are created.
Outline
Exhibition Name: Ron Mueck
Organizers: Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Mori Art Museum
Special Support: Australian Embassy
Grant: British Council
Sponsorship: Obayashi Corporation, Kajima Corporation
Curators: Kenichi Kondo (Adjunct Curator, Mori Art Museum), Charlie Clarke (Associate Curator of the exhibition), Chiara Agradi (Curator, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain)
Period: April 29 (Wed/Holiday) – September 23 (Wed/Holiday), 2026
Venue: Mori Art Museum (53F, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Opening Hours: 10:00-22:00 (Until 17:00 on Tuesdays, except for May 5, August 11, and September 22, when it is open until 22:00)
* Admission until 30 minutes before closing. Open every day during the exhibition period.
Admission:
[Weekdays]
- Adult: Door 2,300 yen / Online 2,100 yen
- Student (High school/University): Door 1,400 yen / Online 1,300 yen
- Junior High School and younger: Free
- Senior (65+): Door 2,000 yen / Online 1,800 yen
[Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays]
- Adult: Door 2,500 yen / Online 2,300 yen
- Student (High school/University): Door 1,500 yen / Online 1,400 yen
- Junior High School and younger: Free
- Senior (65+): Door 2,200 yen / Online 2,000 yen
* Prices include tax.
* Advance reservation (timed-entry ticket) is required. Timed-entry tickets can be purchased from various online sites.
Online ticket sales sites: Mori Art Museum Online Ticket, Trip.com, Klook