From the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo
The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art opened its doors in Gotenyama, Shinagawa on Saturday, December 8, 1979. Since then, as a pioneer among museums in Japan to specialize in contemporary art, it has held innumerable collection exhibitions, special exhibitions and lectures by distinguished artists and experts from Japan and around the world. The founding of the museum began with the establishment of the Foundation Arc-en-Ciel in 1977 and the subsequent acquisition of artworks, an effort which has resulted in the present-day Hara Collection of over 1,000 items.
To mark the 35th anniversary, the Hara Museum is holding two parallel exhibitions that highlight selected masterworks from the Hara Collection. The Hara Museum Collection at 35 in Shinagawa provides an overview of the wide range of expression produced by artists active in Japan over these past decades. At the Hara Museum ARC annex in Shibukawa, Gunma, the museum’s engagement in international exchange is traced through works by artists from Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Africa.
Together, these shows offer a glimpse into the path traveled by the Hara Museum and Hara Museum ARC during its 35-year history and a possible hint of what to expect in the years ahead.
(Notice announcing the opening of the Hara Museum in 1979.)