"Collection Dialogue" and "Collection Plus": Collaborative Projects with Museums Nationwide Utilizing National Museum Collections. Call for Applications from Museums Now Open (April 1 - June 30, 2026)

The National Center for Art Research (NCAR; Director: Masayuki Tanaka), with the aim of contributing to the enhancement of art appreciation opportunities in regional areas and the revitalization of exhibition and research activities at museums, will begin accepting public applications from April 1, 2026, for two collaborative projects utilizing the collections of national museums in cooperation with museums nationwide: "National Museum Collection Dialogue" (to be held in FY2028) and "National Museum Collection Plus" (to be held in FY2027). In addition, the project details for fiscal year 2026 have been finalized, and exhibitions will be held at a total of four museums.

The second iteration of the "National Museum Collection Dialogue" for FY2026 has been decided to be held at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art (Coordinating National Museum: The National Museum of Western Art). The Matsukata Collection of the National Museum of Western Art is centered on modern French art collected before the war by Kojiro Matsukata, the first president of the Kawasaki Dockyard in Kobe. And the Yamamura Collection of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art centers on post-war Japanese avant-garde art collected by Tokutaro Yamamura, a collector from Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture. The collections built by these two collectors with ties to Hyogo will co-star in the Kansai region for the first time.

Furthermore, the three museums selected for the FY2026 "National Museum Collection Plus," for which applications were solicited last year, are the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum (Coordinating National Museum: National Crafts Museum), Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art (Coordinating National Museum: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto), and Yokohama Civic Art Gallery (Coordinating National Museum: The National Museum of Art, Osaka). Exhibitions utilizing each museum's collections are planned.

In these projects, NCAR will cover a portion of the expenses, such as transportation costs related to the exhibitions for "Collection Dialogue" and "Collection Plus." Through this project, NCAR will shed new light on the collections of both the national museums and the host museums, and promote the holding of exhibitions that will lead to the discovery of even further appeal.

◆ About the Activities of the National Center for Art Research (NCAR) (https://ncar.artmuseums.go.jp/)
With the mission to "Connect, Deepen, and Expand Art," NCAR will continue to engage in activities that contribute to the enrichment of overall museum activities in Japan, such as gathering information and disseminating it domestically and internationally, promoting the utilization of collections, building human networks, expanding learning programs, and supporting artists.

Overview of the Call for Applications for "National Museum Collection Dialogue" and "National Museum Collection Plus"

National Museum Collection Dialogue
We invite proposals from museums nationwide for highly thematic exhibitions composed by adding the host museum's collection to the national museum's collection. The organizers will be the three parties: the host museum, the coordinating national museum, and NCAR.

[FY2028 Overview]
■ Application Period: April 1 (Wed) - June 30 (Tue), 2026
■ Coordinating National Museum for FY2028: The National Museum of Art, Osaka
■ Number of Selections: 1
■ Application Guidelines URL for FY2028: https://ncar.artmuseums.go.jp/reports/collections/post2026-180.html

National Museum Collection Plus
We invite proposals from museums nationwide for thematic exhibitions composed by adding one to several artworks from a national museum's collection to the host museum's collection, and the selected applicant museum will implement it as the host museum. The organizer will be the host museum, with special cooperation from the coordinating national museum and NCAR.

[FY2027 Overview]
■ Application Period: April 1 (Wed) - June 30 (Tue), 2026
■ Coordinating National Museums for FY2027: The National Museum of Western Art, National Crafts Museum, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
■ Number of Selections: 3
■ Application Guidelines URL for FY2027: https://ncar.artmuseums.go.jp/reports/collections/post2026-181.html

Host Museums and Exhibitions for "National Museum Collection Dialogue" in FY2026
The second "National Museum Collection Dialogue," for which applications were solicited in 2024, has been decided to be held at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art. The Matsukata Collection of the National Museum of Western Art is centered on modern French art collected before the war by Kojiro Matsukata, the first president of the Kawasaki Dockyard in Kobe. And the Yamamura Collection of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art centers on post-war Japanese avant-garde art collected by Tokutaro Yamamura, a collector from Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture. The collections built by these two collectors with ties to Hyogo will co-star in the Kansai region for the first time.

■ Exhibition Title: National Museum Collection Dialogue: Kojiro Matsukata x Tokutaro Yamamura
The Passion for Collecting: Rodin to Japan, Gutai to the World
■ Dates: October 10 (Sat) - December 27 (Sun), 2026

Comment from Naoko Ono, Representative of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
◎ Motivation for Applying to "Collection Dialogue"
Under the circumstances surrounding museums today, such as the prolonged recession and the securing of tight budgets, our museum is also at a time when we must actively utilize our collected works. As one of these attempts, we applied with the desire to make it an opportunity to trace the dreams entrusted to the collections and the continuation of those dreams by placing the Matsukata Collection of the National Museum of Western Art and our museum's Yamamura Collection—both built by collectors with ties to Kobe who shared the goal of building a museum—as the main axes, and bringing the artworks of both museums into "dialogue."

◎ Expectations for "Collection Dialogue"
Through this rare opportunity of a co-starring between modern Western art and post-war Japanese contemporary art, which was realized precisely because we focused on the achievements of the two collectors, we expect to be able to bring new perspectives for appreciation to each collection. We also believe that we can convey once again that these valuable collections are now stored as public assets and contribute to cultural improvement by being widely targeted for appreciation, while also appealing the importance of inheriting intellectual property.

Host Museums and Exhibitions for "National Museum Collection Plus" in FY2026
The third "National Museum Collection Plus," for which applications were solicited in 2025, has been decided to be held at three museums: the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, and Yokohama Civic Art Gallery, with the following exhibition plans.

Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum (Coordinating National Museum: National Crafts Museum)
■ Exhibition Title:
National Museum Collection Plus
Modern European Crafts and Design
■ Dates:
September 3 (Thu) - December 24 (Thu), 2026
■ Overview:
Focusing on Europe from the end of the 19th century to the mid-20th century, which greatly influenced the state of modern and contemporary Japanese crafts, this exhibition will trace the diverse developments of crafts in modern Europe by displaying works by Emile Gallé and Lucie Rie from the collection and deposits of the Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, as well as works by Christopher Dresser, A.M. Cassandre, and others from the National Crafts Museum.

Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art (Coordinating National Museum: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto)
■ Exhibition Title:
National Museum Collection Plus
Glass: The Beginning of a Dream
■ Dates:
September 12 (Sat) - December 20 (Sun), 2026
■ Overview:
The Studio Glass Movement, which began in the United States in the 1960s, advocated that artists themselves freely create forms in their personal studios without relying on large-scale factories. This exhibition introduces works by Studio Glass pioneers Harvey K. Littleton and Dominick Labino held by the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, and the subsequent international developments through the collection of the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art.

Yokohama Civic Art Gallery (Coordinating National Museum: The National Museum of Art, Osaka)
■ Exhibition Title:
National Museum Collection Plus
Copying - Rethinking: Japanese Contemporary Prints (Tentative Name)
■ Dates:
February 19 (Fri) - March 7 (Sun), 2027
■ Overview:
In the 1970s, with the advent of new techniques such as photoengraving, Japanese contemporary printmaking became deeply connected with contemporary art and achieved a major breakthrough. This exhibition looks back on the history of Japanese contemporary printmaking expression by adding works from the late 1960s to the 1970s held by the National Museum of Art, Osaka, to the Yokohama Civic Art Gallery's print collection mainly from the 1980s.