National Museum of Art, Osaka Announces 'Collection 1: Self / Action' – Pre-Celebration of 50th Anniversary Opening July 19, 2026

The National Museum of Art, Osaka opened in 1977, inheriting the former Expo ’70 Pavilion located in the Expo Commemoration Park (Suita City, Osaka Prefecture).

In 2004, the museum relocated to a newly constructed building in Nakanoshima, and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2027. In preparation for this milestone, the museum will present its collection in two phases during the 2026 fiscal year, reviewing the trajectory of art and its context leading up to its founding year, 1977, through its holdings.

Since its opening, the museum has operated as a museum of contemporary art, focusing on 'contemporary' art—primarily collecting and exhibiting works created from 1945 to the present. At the same time, the museum’s collection also includes so-called 'modern' art. The term 'contemporary' does not denote a fixed historical period but can also be translated as 'of the same era' or 'current.' What is now called 'modern' was once the 'contemporary' and 'present' of its time. The 'contemporary' is thus built upon the accumulated thought and creativity that followed the modern era.

'Collection 1' will cover works from Paul Cézanne, often called the 'father of modern painting,' up to the mid-1960s. This period reveals the establishment and instability of the 'self' as the subject of artistic creation, as well as shifts in the nature of artistic 'action' and the discourse surrounding it. Through representative works from the museum’s collection, the exhibition traces the evolving narrative of art that continues to be re-evaluated and renewed.

Highlights of the Exhibition

◎ Masterpieces from Modern to Postwar Art Unite in One Venue

This exhibition focuses on art created from the modern period to the mid-1960s, bringing together approximately 140 works by over 80 artists selected from the museum’s collection. Featuring key works previously highlighted in anniversary exhibitions and 'Selected Works' shows, as well as those central to retrospectives and period-specific exhibitions, it offers an opportunity to revisit art within and alongside various 'isms' and artistic movements.

※ Art from the mid-1960s to the 1970s will be introduced in the next collection exhibition, 'Collection 2.'

◎ Re-examining Art History Through Marginalized Voices

The exhibition draws attention to artists who have been marginalized in traditional art narratives. For example, female artists active during the period covered are few in number within the museum’s collection, and the number of female artists is limited compared to their male counterparts. The final section of the exhibition will focus on works by women artists who made significant contributions to postwar art, primarily created by the mid-1960s.

Featured Artists

Paul Cézanne, Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Jean (Hans) Arp, Tsuguharu Foujita (Léonard Foujita), Marcel Duchamp, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Giorgio Morandi, Man Ray, Mark Tobey, Max Ernst, Tamiji Kitagawa, Yūzō Saeki, Jean Fautrier, Lucio Fontana, Jean Dubuffet, Alberto Giacometti, Nagao Yamaguchi, Shūzō Takiguchi, Joseph Cornell, Willem de Kooning, Yoshishige Saitō, Jirō Yoshihara, Masao Tatsuoaka, Yōzō Hamaguchi, Keiko Minami, Ei-Q, Morris Louis, Teno Abe (Hōbun), Wols, Tazuko Tanaka, Naoshi Sugi, Yūichi Inoue, Tomiaki Hamada, Toshiko (Aohara) Uchima, Kiku Kuwata, In-chik Kwak, Zao Wou-Ki (Zhao Wuji), Georges Mathieu, Karel Appel, Mitsuhito Toneyama, Shigeru Izumi, Tōsei Motonaga, Bujiro Mori, Kinuko Emi, Seiji Ōtsuji, Saori Asakawa (Masako), Kazuo Shiraga, Hiroshi Katsura, Tsuruko Yamazaki, Joan Mitchell, Jean Tinguely, Ruth Asawa, Yutaka Oda, Tadashi Kato, Hideko Fukushima, Fusako Shiraga, Shōzō Shimamoto, Shōrō Dōmoto, Cy Twombly, Tatsuo Ikeda, Toshimitsu Imai, Yayoi Kusama, Aiko Miyawaki, Shōmei Tōmatsu, Niki de Saint Phalle, Ai Wei, Atsuko Tanaka, Hiroshi Nakamura, On Kawara, Kotoko Tabata, Yoko Ono, Piero Manzoni, Shigeo Ishii, Tetsuya Kōdo, Shigekuma Kikuhata, Christo, Michio Fukuoka, Jirō Takamatsu, Shūsaku Arakawa, Yukihisa Isobe, Takeshi Matsuyama, Tomio Miki, Mune Eda (Chieko), Kumiko Imanaka, Keiji Uzasami, Noriko Morimoto, Akirako Tabata

Paul Cézanne, "Preparing for the Feast," c. 1890, Collection of the National Museum of Art, Osaka Abe Teno (Hōbun), "Song of the Bones," 1950, Collection of the National Museum of Art, Osaka

Alberto Giacometti, "Man," 1956, Collection of the National Museum of Art, Osaka Kazuo Shiraga, "Ten'yūsei: Hyōshirō," 1959, Collection of the National Museum of Art, Osaka

In-chik Kwak, "[Work 63 White]," c. 1962–63, Collection of the National Museum of Art, Osaka @Gallery Q, Tokyo Atsuko Tanaka, "Gate to Hell," 1965–69, Collection of the National Museum of Art, Osaka @Kanayama Akira and Tanaka Atsuko Association

Ruth Asawa, "Untitled (S.317, wall-mounted, central portion formed by tying wire into an open five-pointed star with overlapping branches)," c. 1965, Collection of the National Museum of Art, Osaka © 2026 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., Courtesy David Zwirner Akirako Tabata, "Work," 1966–67, Collection of the National Museum of Art, Osaka

Exhibition Details

Dates: Sunday, July 19, 2026 – Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (National Holiday)

Venue: Second Basement Exhibition Hall, National Museum of Art, Osaka (4-2-55 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka City, 530-0005)

Opening Hours: 10:00 – 17:00; Fridays until 20:00 *Last admission 30 minutes before closing

Closed: Mondays (except July 20, September 21, October 12, and November 2, which are open), July 21, September 24, October 13

Organizer: National Museum of Art, Osaka

Sponsor: Daikin Industries, Ltd. Foundation for Contemporary Art

Curator: Sakiko Masuji (Chief Researcher, National Museum of Art, Osaka)

Admission: General 430 JPY (220 JPY for groups of 20 or more), University Students 130 JPY (70 JPY)

Free admission for high school students and younger, those under 18, those 65 and over (proof required)

Free admission for individuals with disabilities and one accompanying person (proof required)

Evening Discount (Fridays, 17:00–20:00): General 250 JPY, University Students 70 JPY

This exhibition can be accessed with the ticket to the special exhibition 'Kō Sasahara: Laboratory' (July 19 – November 3).

Free Admission Days: July 25 (Sat), August 1 (Sat), September 5 (Sat), October 3 (Sat), November 3 (Tue, Holiday)

Related Events: Gallery talks and more to be announced. Details will be posted on the museum’s website.

Access Information: https://www.nmao.go.jp/visit/admission/

Inquiries (General Public): National Museum of Art, Osaka TEL: 06-6447-4680 (Main)

https://www.nmao.go.jp/