The National Museum of Art, Osaka opened in 1977 in the former Expo Museum of Fine Arts, located within Expo ’70 Commemorative Park in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The museum relocated to a new building on Nakanoshima in 2004, and in 2027 it will mark its 50th anniversary. As that milestone approaches, the 2026 collection exhibition spans two installments, drawing on the museum’s own holdings to revisit developments in art, and the social and historical conditions that shaped them, in the years leading up to the museum’s opening.
Since its founding, the museum has focused above all on the many forms of artistic practice arising in the current moment, i.e. the contemporary. What were artists thinking about in each successive “here and now,” and what kinds of works did they present to the world? By examining how artists’ practices have unfolded over time, the museum also leads us to look more closely at the contemporary moment in which we live.
A museum is also a place where works of every kind are classified, organized, and become part of history. Contemporary art is, of course, no exception, and what was called “contemporary art” when the museum first opened clearly differs from what we understand the term to indicate today. Alongside its responsibility to remain attuned to the latest developments, a museum must continually reconsider and reassess contemporary art as it becomes part of the narrative of art history. This exhibition of works from the collection takes a fresh look at several movements that rose to prominence in the 1960s, specifically Pop Art, Minimalism, and Conceptualism. Its principal aim is to look back at forms of contemporary art that are now more than half a century old, and in doing so, to offer insights for understanding the new art emerging today.
Kimiyo MISHIMA, Box CG-86, 1986, The National Museum of Art, Osaka ©Kimiyo Mishima
Edward RUSCHA, Zero, Period, 1985, The National Museum of Art, Osaka ©Ed Ruscha
Nobuo SEKINE, Phase No.5, 1968, The National Museum of Art, Osaka ©The Estate of Nobuo Sekine
Kishio SUGA, PROTRUSION #279, 1981, The National Museum of Art, Osaka ©Kishio Suga
Katsuro YOSHIDA, Cut-off No.2, 1969/90, The National Museum of Art, Osaka ©The Estate of Katsuro Yoshida, Courtesy of Yumiko Chiba Associates
GUN group, Event to Change the Image of Snow (Snow Happening at the Shinano River 1970, Feb. 11) [2], 1970/2009, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Photo by Mitsutoshi HANAGA ©Mitsutoshi HANAGA
Minoru YOSHIDA, The Orange Tent, 1966, The National Museum of Art, Osaka
- Period December 1, 2026–March 22, 2027
- Opening Hours 10:00–17:00 (10:00–20:00 on Fridays) *Last admission 30 minutes before closing
- Closed Mondays (except January 11 and March 22), January 12, and December 28 to January 4.
- Organized by The National Museum of Art, Osaka
- Sponsored by Daikin Foundation for Contemporary Arts