Recommended Art Gallery and Museum Exhibitions Across Japan in August 2026

NPO Aoyama Design Forum presents the recommended exhibitions of art galleries and museums in August 2026. In addition to the schedule of events, we will provide you with detailed information such as the works on display. Please check the website of each museum for current opening hours before visiting.

ヨハネス・フェルメール《真珠の耳飾りの少女》1665年頃　44.5×39.0cm　油彩、カンヴァス　マウリッツハイス美術館 © Mauritshuis, The Hague

Osaka Nakanoshima Museum of Art
Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Masterpieces of the 17th Century

This exhibition brings together masterpieces of seventeenth-century Dutch painting, centering on Johannes Vermeer’s iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring. Visitors will also have the rare opportunity to see Diana and Her Nymphs, making this a unique occasion in which two of the Mauritshuis’s three Vermeer paintings are shown together in Japan. Other highlights include celebrated works by Jan Steen, Paulus Potter, and Maria van Oosterwijck, offering a rich overview of the artistic achievements of the Dutch Golden Age. The exhibition provides an exceptional opportunity to appreciate the beauty, diversity, and enduring legacy of seventeenth-century Dutch art.

Dates: August 21, 2026 – September 27, 2026
Venue: Exhibition Gallery, 5F, Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka
Image credit: Johannes Vermeer, “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” c. 1665, 44.5 × 39.0 cm, oil on canvas, Mauritshuis © Mauritshuis, The Hague
URL: https://tinyurl.com/vhpaayha

Abeno Harukas Art Museum
Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne, Germany“Van Gogh and the Impressionists”

作品はすべてヴァルラフ＝リヒャルツ美術館・コルブー財団蔵 Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne Photos: © RBA, Cologne

Featuring masterpieces from the renowned Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud in Cologne, this exhibition traces the evolution of modern painting from Realism to Post-Impressionism. Around seventy works by forty-two artists—including Manet, Corot, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Signac, Matisse, Utrillo, and Van Gogh—highlight the artistic dialogue that shaped modern European art. Among the exhibition’s highlights are Manet’s Bundle of Asparagus and Van Gogh’s Drawbridge, offering visitors an opportunity to explore the connections and innovations that transformed nineteenth-century painting.

Dates: July 4, 2026 – September 9, 2026
Venue: Abeno Harukas Art Museum
Opening hours: Tuesday–Friday 10:00–20:00 / Monday, Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays 10:00–18:00. Admission until 30 minutes before closing
Closed: July 6, 2026
Admission: Adults ¥2,100 (¥1,900), university and high school students ¥1,700 (¥1,500), junior high and elementary school students ¥500 (¥300)
Image credit: All works are from the collection of the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne. Photos: © RBA, Cologne
URL: https://www.ktv.jp/event/gogh_hanebashi

The National Museum of Western Art
Rembrandt the Etcher: His Challenges and His Impact

フレデリック・レガメー《『エッチングのパリ』誌ポスター》1876年 リトグラフ／青色紙　レンブラント・ハウス美術館

Dedicated to Rembrandt’s achievements as an etcher, this exhibition explores the innovation and lasting influence of one of the greatest masters of seventeenth-century Dutch art. Centered on the collections of the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam and the National Museum of Western Art, the exhibition presents prints, books, and related works that reveal Rembrandt’s experimental techniques and artistic vision. Visitors will discover how his groundbreaking approach to printmaking inspired generations of artists and transformed the history of graphic art.

Dates: July 7, 2026 – September 23, 2026
Venue: Special Exhibition Gallery, The National Museum of Western Art
Opening hours: 9:30–17:30. Open until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission until 30 minutes before closing
Image credit: Frédéric Régamey, “Poster for Paris à l’eau-forte,” 1876, lithograph on blue paper, Rembrandt House Museum
URL: https://tinyurl.com/8tzjappj

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
100th Anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art MuseumEdo in Focus: Japanese Treasures from the British Museum

Celebrating the museum’s 100th anniversary, this exhibition showcases one of the largest presentations ever organized in Japan from the British Museum’s outstanding collection of Japanese art. Highlights include masterpieces by Kitagawa Utamaro, Maruyama Ōkyo, and Katsushika Hokusai, many of which return to Japan for the first time since entering the British Museum’s collection. Woodblock prints by leading Edo-period artists such as Sharaku, Hiroshige, and Kuniyoshi further illustrate the richness of Japanese artistic traditions while reflecting the museum’s long history of collecting, preserving, and researching Japanese art.

Dates: July 25, 2026 – October 18, 2026
Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Ueno Park, Tokyo
Opening hours: 9:30–17:30. Open until 20:00 on Fridays. Admission until 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Mondays and October 13. Open on August 10, September 21, and October 12
URL:https://tinyurl.com/536a6aar

POLA Museum of Art
The New Vision: Monet and the Contemporary Gaze

クロード・モネ《睡蓮》（部分）1907年、ポーラ美術館／今坂庸二朗《Wet Land #43》、《Wet Land #23》（部分）2021年 ©yojiro imasaka

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Claude Monet’s death and the 25th anniversary of the POLA Museum of Art, this exhibition presents the museum’s complete collection of nineteen Monet oil paintings. Spanning his career from early landscapes to the celebrated Water Lilies series, the exhibition traces the evolution of Monet’s artistic vision. In dialogue with these masterpieces, works by eighteen contemporary artists from Japan and abroad invite visitors to reconsider the act of seeing itself. By bringing together Impressionism and contemporary art, the exhibition offers a fresh perspective on Monet’s enduring influence and artistic legacy.

Dates: June 17, 2026 – April 7, 2027
Venue: Exhibition Galleries 1, 2 & 4, Atrium Gallery, Lobby and Outdoors, POLA Museum of Art
Opening Hours: 9:00–17:00 (Last admission 16:30)
Closed: Open throughout the exhibition period (Closed on December 1)
Image Credit: Claude Monet, Water Lilies (detail), 1907, POLA Museum of Art / Yojiro Imasaka, Wet Land #43, Wet Land #23 (details), 2021 © yojiro imasaka
URL: https://tinyurl.com/2p9r42ry

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
100th Anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art MuseumViews of This Place – Ueno, Omuta, and Buenos Aires

藤岡鉄太郎《百日草の庭》1926年　東京都現代美術館蔵

Presented as part of the museum’s 100th anniversary celebrations, this exhibition explores a century of artistic activity through three distinct places: Ueno, Ōmuta, and Buenos Aires. It looks back on the history of the museum in Ueno, introduces the lifelong work of landscape painter Shigeo Egami in Ōmuta, and follows the remarkable story surrounding Zinnia Garden, painted in Buenos Aires in 1926. Through these interconnected narratives, the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect on the meaning of artistic expression beyond conventional ideas of “center” and “periphery,” while considering the evolving role of museums in society.

Dates: July 23, 2026 – October 7, 2026
Venue: Galleries A, B, and C, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
Opening hours: 9:30–17:30. Fridays 9:30–20:00. Admission until 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Mondays. Open on August 10 and September 21
Admission: Adults ¥1,200 / visitors aged 65 and over ¥1,000 / students and visitors aged 18 and under free
Image credit: Fujioka Tetsutarō, “Zinnia Garden,” 1926, collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
URL: https://tinyurl.com/nhrm9v6k

Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts
Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts 90th Anniversary Special Exhibition: Water Margin

歌川国芳《通俗水滸伝豪傑百八人之一個 九紋龍史進 跳澗虎陳達》文政10年（1827）頃　個人蔵

Celebrating the museum’s 90th anniversary, this special exhibition explores the enduring legacy of Water Margin, one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels. Bringing together Chinese and Japanese works of art, the exhibition traces how the story has been interpreted across different periods and artistic traditions. Paintings, prints, sculptures, manuscripts, and historical materials reveal how themes of loyalty and justice have inspired artists for centuries. It also examines the continuing popularity of Water Margin in literature, film, manga, and games, offering visitors a fresh appreciation of its lasting cultural influence.

Dates: July 11, 2026 – September 6, 2026
Venue: Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, 1-82 Chausuyama-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka
Opening hours: 9:30–17:00. Admission until 16:30
Closed: Mondays. When Monday is a public holiday, the museum is open and closed on the following weekday. Open on August 10
Image credit: Utagawa Kuniyoshi, “Shi Jin, the Nine-Dragoned, and Chen Da, the Stream-Jumping Tiger, from One of the 108 Heroes of the Popular Water Margin,” c. 1827, private collection
URL: https://tinyurl.com/49ckzxpm

Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art
Masters of Swedish Painting from Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

ニルス・ブロメール《草原の妖精たち》1850年　油彩、カンヴァス　スウェーデン国立美術館蔵　Photo: Cecilia Heisser / Nationalmuseum

The first exhibition in Japan devoted exclusively to Swedish painting introduces the remarkable achievements of Sweden’s artistic Golden Age. Organized with the full cooperation of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the exhibition presents around eighty masterpieces created between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. After studying in France, many Swedish artists returned home inspired to depict their own landscapes, daily life, and northern light with fresh artistic vision. Their poetic portrayals of nature and everyday life reveal the distinctive character of Swedish art and its lasting appeal.

Dates: July 9, 2026 – October 4, 2026
Venue: Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, 10F, Aichi Arts Center
Opening hours: 10:00–17:00. Open until 20:00 on Fridays. Admission until 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Mondays, except July 20, August 10, and September 21, as well as July 21 and September 24
Image credit: Nils Blommér, “Meadow Elves,” 1850, oil on canvas, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Photo: Cecilia Heisser / Nationalmuseum
URL: https://tinyurl.com/yzkumuvn

Osaka Nakanoshima Museum of Art
Karl Walser

This exhibition marks the first major retrospective in Japan dedicated to Swiss artist Karl Walser, one of the leading figures of early twentieth-century European art. Spending nearly twenty-five years in Berlin, Walser developed a distinctive artistic style characterized by elegant lines, refined colors, and subtle symbolism while working across painting, illustration, stage design, and interior decoration. Featuring approximately 150 works—including paintings and drawings, all shown in Japan for the first time—the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to explore the remarkable achievements of an artist whose work has remained little known outside Europe.

Dates: July 4, 2026 – September 27, 2026
Venue: Exhibition Gallery, 4F, Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka
Opening hours: 10:00–17:00. Admission until 16:30
Closed: Mondays and July 21. Open on July 20, August 10, August 24, August 31, September 7, September 14, and September 21
Admission: Adults ¥1,800 / university and high school students ¥1,300 / junior high and elementary school students ¥500
URL:https://tinyurl.com/2w2pku2v

Nihombashi Takashimaya S.C. / Osaka Takashimaya
The Beauty of Okinawa that Soetsu Yanagi EncounteredRyukyu Folk Art

Held to coincide with both the reconstruction of Shuri Castle and the 100th anniversary of the Mingei movement, this exhibition celebrates the timeless beauty of Okinawan folk art admired by Soetsu Yanagi. Centered on the outstanding Ryukyu collection of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, the exhibition features around one hundred objects, including everyday utensils, textiles, ceramics, and works by leading Mingei artists such as Keisuke Serizawa, Kanjiro Kawai, and Shoji Hamada. Together, they reveal the rich culture and craftsmanship that have flourished in Okinawa for generations.

Dates: Tokyo venue: August 26, 2026 – September 6, 2026
Osaka venue: September 9, 2026 – September 21, 2026
Venue: Tokyo venue: 8F Hall, Main Building, Nihombashi Takashimaya S.C.
Osaka venue: 7F Grand Hall, Osaka Takashimaya
Opening hours: Tokyo venue: 10:30–19:00, venue closes at 19:30. On the final day, admission until 17:30 and venue closes at 18:00
Osaka venue: 10:00–18:30, venue closes at 19:00. On the final day, admission until 16:30 and venue closes at 17:00
Admission: Adults ¥1,200 / university and high school students ¥1,000 / junior high school students and younger free
URL: https://tinyurl.com/4euw263h

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Tada Minami―Still, Shimmering Light

《Mirage》1989　陶板、ステンレス　多田美波研究所蔵　撮影：多田美波研究所

This large-scale retrospective celebrates the work of Minami Tada (1924–2014), one of Japan’s leading abstract sculptors and environmental artists. Organized with the full cooperation of the Minami Tada Studio, the exhibition presents approximately seventy works, ranging from early paintings and sculptures to lighting installations that the artist described as “light sculptures.” Architectural elements, photographs, sketches, and archival materials further trace nearly seventy years of creative activity. Together, they offer a comprehensive look at Tada’s innovative artistic practice and enduring contribution to postwar Japanese art.

Dates: August 29, 2026 – December 6, 2026
Venue: Special Exhibition Gallery B2F, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Opening hours: 10:00–18:00. Admission until 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Mondays, except September 21, October 12, and November 23, as well as September 24, October 13, and November 24
Admission: Adults ¥1,600 / university and vocational school students and visitors aged 65 and over ¥1,100 / junior high and high school students ¥640 / elementary school students and younger free
Image credit: “Mirage,” 1989, ceramic panels and stainless steel, collection of the Tada Minami Research Institute. Photo: Tada Minami Research Institute
URL:https://tinyurl.com/hjynvp38

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
ROJŌ [shared ground] ― am i in your way?

鈴木康広《遊具の透視法》2001　撮影：川内倫子

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Street Observation Society, this exhibition explores the meaning of public space through the everyday world of the street. Bringing together contemporary art, historical materials, video games, public baths, street performances, and other diverse subjects, it examines how urban spaces are observed, used, and shared. Looking back at the society’s pioneering activities while considering contemporary approaches to the city, the exhibition invites visitors to rethink the relationship between people, public space, and everyday life from fresh and unexpected perspectives.

Dates: April 25, 2026 – September 6, 2026
Venue: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Image credit: Suzuki Yasuhiro, “Perspective of Playground Equipment,” 2001. Photo: Kawauchi Rinko
URL:https://tinyurl.com/yrz3ynr4

Fukuda Art Museum
Let All Be Well – Prayers in Paint –

Centered on the theme of prayer, this exhibition is the Fukuda Art Museum’s first to focus on Buddhist paintings and auspicious images. Since ancient times, people have expressed hopes for happiness, peace, and prosperity through works of art. Divided into three sections, the exhibition explores Buddhist paintings, traditional auspicious imagery, and the works of celebrated Japanese painter Kaii Higashiyama. His quiet landscapes, created from a heartfelt desire to live with sincerity, offer a moving conclusion to an exhibition that reflects on the many forms of prayer and the enduring relationship between art and human aspirations.t painting was a prayer expressing the desire to live sincerely.

Dates: July 18, 2026 – September 6, 2026
Venue: Fukuda Art Museum
Opening hours: 10:00–17:00. Last admission at 16:30
Closed: August 18, 2026
Admission: Adults and university students ¥1,500 (¥1,400), high school students ¥900 (¥800), junior high and elementary school students ¥500 (¥400), visitors with disabilities and one accompanying person ¥900 each (¥800). Prices in parentheses are for groups of 20 or more. Preschool children free
URL: https://tinyurl.com/4vuttbry

Art Tower Mito, Contemporary Art Gallery
Kei Takemura: All Things Move

This exhibition is the largest solo presentation to date by contemporary artist Kei Takemura, whose work transforms objects through the act of stitching. Exploring themes of memory, loss, movement, and the irreversible passage of time, the exhibition features key works from the 2000s, restored pieces, new installations inspired by natural disasters and recovery, and participatory projects throughout the city of Mito. By encouraging visitors to reflect on repair, remembrance, and human experience, the exhibition offers a thoughtful exploration of how art can reconnect us with the world around us.

Dates: July 25, 2026 – October 12, 2026
Venue: Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito, and other locations
Opening hours: 10:00–18:00. Admission until 17:30
Closed: Mondays, except September 21 and October 12
Admission: Adults ¥900 / groups of 20 or more ¥700. Free for high school students and younger, visitors aged 70 and over, visitors with disability certificates, and one accompanying person
URL: https://tinyurl.com/3vruzbff

NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]
ICC Annual 2026: What Is Left, What Remains, and What We Take on

画像デザイン：寺井恵司

The annual exhibition at NTT InterCommunication Center (ICC) explores diverse forms of contemporary media art. Focusing on the relationship between history, technology, and media, this edition examines how memories are recorded, preserved, selected, and passed on. Through works that address the structures of recording media, the circulation of digital images, and the forces that shape collective memory, the exhibition encourages visitors to reconsider what is preserved, what disappears, and how we inherit the past in an increasingly digital world.

Dates: June 20, 2026 – November 8, 2026
Venue: Gallery B, NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC], 4F Tokyo Opera City Tower, 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Opening hours: 11:00–18:00. Admission until 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Mondays. When Monday is a public holiday, the venue is closed the following day. Open on September 22. Also closed for maintenance on August 2
Admission: Adults ¥800 (¥700), university students ¥600 (¥500), anechoic chamber work experience ¥200 for adults and university students, annual passport ¥2,000. Prices in parentheses are for groups of 15 or more. Free for visitors with disability certificates and one accompanying person, visitors aged 65 and over, and high school students and younger
Image credit: Visual design by Terai Keiji
URL: https://tinyurl.com/3vbwtrtw

Towada Art Center
Tsubaki Noboru: FREEDOM–Living with “the Elephant in the Room”

メインビジュアル デザイン：美山有

This solo exhibition by contemporary artist Noboru Tsubaki explores the meaning of freedom through large-scale installations centered on the image of the elephant—the world's largest land mammal. Created specifically for this exhibition, the monumental work the Elephant in the Room encourages visitors to confront issues that are often ignored in everyday life. Additional displays tracing the creation of Tsubaki’s celebrated Atta project extend beyond the museum into the city of Towada. Together, these works invite audiences to reflect on contemporary society and the choices we make in living freely and responsibly.

Dates: June 6, 2026 – November 8, 2026
Venue: Towada Art Center
Opening hours: 9:00–17:00. Admission until 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Mondays. When Monday is a public holiday, the museum is closed the following day. Open on August 3 and August 10
Admission: Adults ¥1,800, including the permanent exhibition / groups of 20 or more ¥1,600 / high school students and younger free
Image credit: Main visual design by Miyama Yū
URL: https://tinyurl.com/2w7x6tx2