The year of 2020 (Reiwa 2) is the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, the predecessor of the museum, and this exhibition commemorates this occasion.
For 50 years, the concept of art and the social expectation for art have changed drastically not only in Japan but also worldwide. During the period of change, there are some masterpieces which are newly spotted or excavated, some earned a new attractiveness resulted from the shift of interpretation, and contrary, some lost visibility of the center of their values due to decreasing aura surrounding them. In addition, a flourishing establishment of local museums and their interactions within particular regions may have created some masterpieces by recognizing their values in the contexts of regional culture.
This exhibition explores some questions such as what a masterpiece is, what a masterpiece used to be, and what kind of possibilities masterpieces may have for the museum and its audiences, while focusing on the transition of the evaluation of art works, the way of accepting them, and the phenomenon of losing interest in the works and the creators. The exhibition covers the period of modern Japan which has been the target of the collections and the exhibitions conducted by the museum and its predecessor, and begins with the 1970s when the forerunner of the museum was established, for the purpose of investigating individual work’s position and evaluation in the art world at the time. Through the exhibition, visitors could have a general view of the current of art during the time period. In addition, the exhibition introduces the works which are important for considering the art of this prefecture, as well as the pieces that form the collection which have established reputations as masterpieces in the 50 years of the museum’s history.
※The museum is temporarily closed until May 6. The exhibition is postponed.