In 1930, to commemorate Kojima Torajiro, a Western-style painter who died the previous year, Kurashiki entrepreneur, Ohara Magosaburo, founded the Ohara Museum of Art. This private museum, featuring Western art, is the oldest in Japan.
Magosaburo, well-known as a collector of Japanese art, highly respected Torajiro's talent and his humble attitude towards art, and sent Torajiro to Europe three times. Torajiro studied art in Europe and, at the same time, with Magosaburo's superb European artwork, choosing pieces through the sense of beauty that he possessed as a Japanese artist.
Torajiro, who had a spirit typical of Meiji Era, felt there was a struggle between the highlights of Western art and his Japanese aesthetic sense, when he carefully chose artwork. He prudently chose masterpieces by El Greco, Gauguin, Monet, Matisse and other artists and brought them to Kurashiki, which are now the main features of the Ohara Museum of Art. His collection of Chinese and Egyptian art reveals the conflict of beauty between Western and Oriental art that he faced, where he tried to seek the essence of art.
The Ohara Museum of Art plays an active role in Kurashiki, expanding the collection to include both modern and contemporary art from the West and Japan, as well as pieces by artists who served Mingei Movement(Japanese Folk Art Movement). Now the museum is well known to the world as a private museum with its own character, reflecting Japanese culture.
The Ohara Museum of Art, in addition to opening the eyes of children and adults on site, soends time and energy on distance learning programs through the information communication technology(IT).As an art museum that will actively live through the 21st century, it also serves for broad activities cultivating the frontier of art. Art Lectures are held every summer, and Gallery Concerts, inviting world-class musecians, are part of its activities.
Main Gallery
This is the oldest exhibition space since the foundation in 1930. The front looking like a Greek temple is its distinctive feature. Two Rodin sculptures standing at both sides of the entrance, John the Baptist and The Burghers of Calais－Jean D'aire welcome visitors to the museum.
In 1991 a new exhibition building and atrium (light garden) were added onto the existing building. Currently the exhibition is laid out in a way that artwork starting with El Greco in the 17th Century lead you, in one continuous circulation, to the modern and contemporary art of the western world including impressionism in the 19th Century, 20th Century art and the artwork created by the existing artists in this order.
While you can enjoy the reunion with such paintings, that you have familiarized yourselves with during a course of time since the museum's foundation, as "Annunciation" of El Greco, "Waterlilies" of Monet, "Te Nave Nave Fenua (The Delightful Land)" of Gauguin, and "Portrait of Madame Marthe X" of Toulouse-Lautrec, visitors can also encounter with masterpieces of pioneers of the modern art including "Points" of Kandinsky, "Hostage" of Fautrier, "Cut Out" of Pollock and "Black Numbers" of Johns.
Annex
This was built in 1961, displaying western paintings by modern Japanese oil painters. "Highly Cultivated Hills" by Takeji Fujishima, "Little Girl Dancing" by Ryusei Kishida, "Mr. N's Family" by Narashige Koide and many oil paintings by Sotaro Yasui and Ryuzaburo Umehara are truly the excellent representation of oil paintings created by Japanese artists. They present a good contrast with the western art exhibited in the Main Gallery.
・Basement Contemporary Art Room
In 1987 this was opened to the public in the basement under the front garden of the Annex. Presently a large number of artwork by Japanese contemporary artists is on display.
Craft Art Gallery
・Ceramics Room
In 1961 a warehouse of the Oharas was opened to the public after its refurbishment. On display are the ceramics of Shoji Hamada (1894 -1978), Bernard Leach (1887-1979), Kenkichi Tomimoto (1886－1963), and Kanjiro Kawai (1890 - 1966), all of who participated in the Fork Craft Movement initiated by Soetsu Yanagi.
・Shiko Munakata Room
The same warehouse was modified and dedicated partly to the wood block by Shiko Munakata (1903-1975) and opened to the public in 1963.
・Keisuke Serizawa Room
This was opened in 1963 together with the wood block room. This contains the artwork of a stencil artist, Keisuke Serizawa (1894-1984).
Asiatic Art Gallery
The collection of the old Chinese art and craft that Torajiro Kojima had accumulated was further added on after World War II. In order to exhibit them, a warehouse connecting to the Craft Art Gallery was modified.It was completed in 1970.
Displayed are ancient art from East Asia centering around Chinese artwork from the prehistoric age to the Tang Dynasty. Among them, there are many that are worth noting, particularly those including Buddha Image with Two Attendants from Northern Wei Dynasty, and Bactrian Costumed Foreign Cameller from Northern Ch'i Dynasty.
Torajiro Kojima Memoria Hall
This was converted from a warehouse previously having belonged to Kurabo factory (currently Kurashiki Ivy Square) from 1972 to 1981. Visitors find some of western paintings, artifact of Ancient Egypt, prehistoric Iranian art (Seiichi Mizuno's collection), and Medieval Islam that Torajiro Kojima collected, as well as his own paintings.
Address
Ohara Museum of Art 1-1-15 Chuo
Kurashiki, Chugoku 710-8575, Japan
http://www.ohara.or.jp
Click here for Map
Hours
January 2 to December 27 (Monday closed)(Tue to Sun from 9:00 AM to 17:00 PM)
Admission
- Adult ¥1000.00
- Group discounts ¥800.00
- Students ¥600.00
- Child 13 & under ¥500.00
- Senior over 65 ¥800.00
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