The Museum Collection currently consists of approximately 4,200 works of Kyoto modern art comprising Japanese paintings, Western-style paintings, sculpture, prints, crafts, and calligraphy. In particular, the Collection includes masterpieces representative of Japanese painting made by Kyoto artists between the Meiji and Showa periods, making it one of the leading collections of such works in Japan.

Nomura Hitoshi (1945-) presented a gigantic eight-meter-tall work assembled from sheets of cardboard at the Kyoto City University of Fine Art: Graduation Works exhibition held at this Museum. The photographs he took of the structure as it disintegrated over time remained as the Tardiology work and became the starting point for his subsequent photographic style, but the genesis of his art lies in the sculptural question: Is it possible to make sculpture that does not set monumental permanence as its primary goal? This special display introduces the course of postwar sculpture that led to Tardiology, starting from the works of Tsuji Shindo and Horiuchi Masakazu, who were Nomura’s mentors.
*For the autumn special display only, the venue will change to 1F of the North Wing in the Main Building.

Other scheduled displays: Feature Exhibition Kyoto City Zoo 120th Anniversary Exhibition
To commemorate the 120th anniversary of the opening of Kyoto City Zoo, which was visited by members of Kyoto’s painting circles and many other artists as a place to make sketches, works centered on Japanese paintings by Takeuchi Seiho and others that depict animals will be introduced.

2023 Schedule