From Picasso to Warhol. The "Trialogue" Exhibition where the "collections" of three museums resonate with each other

When the media reports that famous works by artists such as Monet and Renoir are coming to Japan, the feeling of "Let's go to the art museum!" rises. I felt a little sad that the "Trialogue" exhibition currently being held at the Yokohama Museum of Art (until Sunday, February 28, 2021) did not have any such "eye-catching works," perhaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However!

When I actually went there, I was surprised to see a lineup of famous works by artists such as Picasso and Warhol! This project was born from the idea of the public art museums in Yokohama, Aichi, and Toyama bringing together the works they each own. I thought of art museums as places to go to see exhibitions, but perhaps an important role of collecting such collections and communicating how to view and enjoy them is also...
We asked Matsunaga Shintaro, chief curator at the Yokohama Museum of Art, to answer these simple questions.

There is an image that "museum = a place to go to see an exhibition"

That image may be strong. In fact, many Japanese art museums are busy holding "special exhibitions" in which they borrow large works of art several times a year, and tend to display their own collections as a kind of bonus in "permanent exhibitions (collection exhibitions)." However, this may be a situation unique to Japan.
For example, at museums such as the Louvre and the Musee D'orsay, you can see their wonderful collections whenever you visit, so there is no thought of "going to see a special exhibition." However, in the case of Japanese art museums, in most cases the quality and quantity of their own collections are not sufficient to satisfy visitors. Therefore, in order to meet the expectations of visitors, special exhibitions that borrow masterpieces are emphasized.

What other work is required at a museum besides exhibitions?

Of course, planning and running exhibitions is one of the jobs of a museum, but the core of the museum is "collecting artworks." Following the flow of art history, we collect artworks that should be preserved for the future and pass them on to the next generation. In other words, the collection is the identity of the museum. It is the curator's job to conduct research and study on the collected artworks, and an exhibition can essentially be positioned as a place to present the results of that research.

So this "Trilogy" exhibition was made possible because the collection concepts of the three museums are similar.

That's right. If a single museum's collection alone is not very appealing, why not team up with other museums that are collecting art with a similar concept? That was the origin of this project. When we looked at domestic resources to hold an attractive exhibition within a limited budget, the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art caught our eye. Both museums have the same collection guidelines as the Yokohama Museum of Art, so if the three museums joined forces, we could complement each other's weak points and interpret 20th century Western art. With that in mind, we approached them and they readily agreed.

For example, Pablo Picasso's "Woman Asleep in an Armchair" (1927) is one of the "faces" of our museum, but when it is displayed next to works depicting women of different eras, such as "Woman in a Blue Scarf" (1902) from the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, and "Woman in an Armchair" (1923) and "Seated Woman" (1960) from the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art, a different world emerges.
Also, in our museum, Juan Miro is known for "Flowers and Butterflies" (1922-23), but in Aichi it is "Painting" (1925), and in Toyama it is "Man Smoking a Pipe" (1925). For repeat visitors to the Yokohama Museum of Art, the styles are so different that they may be surprised. However, by displaying these three works side by side, you can see the dramatic changes in Miro's painting career in just two or three years, and you can enjoy familiar works from a new perspective.

It seems likely that there will be more "collaborations" between art museums in Japan in the future.

Of course. There are 20 art museums that could hold interesting exhibitions by matching our collection, so the combination variations are endless. Although it is difficult to borrow works from overseas due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we may see more projects in which domestic art museums team up in the future to make use of their own collections.

The Yokohama Museum of Art has a collection of about 13,000 pieces, but it is true that they are not fully utilized, and unfortunately, some pieces have not been thoroughly researched, and some pieces rarely have the opportunity to be exhibited. It goes without saying that in order to utilize this important collection, it is important for us curators to deepen our research on the artists and their works. The "Trialogue" exhibition was not only a chance for each museum to bring and exhibit works from their respective collections, but also a good opportunity to deepen our research by including works from other museums.

After the "Trialogue" exhibition closes, the Yokohama Museum of Art will be closed for over two years for major renovation work. What will the curators be doing during this time?

I mentioned earlier that "exhibitions are one of the museum's jobs," but in reality, we are busy holding about four exhibitions a year, and we have not been able to devote enough time to researching and studying the collections. In that sense, it is a rare opportunity to be closed for more than two years, so I would like to tackle things that I have not been able to do before. It is a chance to improve my knowledge through training at other museums, and it would be nice if I could review my own collection and build a new perspective.
Please look forward to our reopening!

Trialogue
Yokohama Museum of Art , Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art , Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art
20th Century Western Art Collection
[Dates] Saturday, November 14th - Sunday, February 28th, 2021
[Opening hours] 10:00-18:00 (entry until 17:30)
[Venue] Yokohama Museum of Art
[Closed] Thursdays (except February 11th), December 29th (Tuesday) - January 3rd, 2021 (Sunday), February 12th (Friday)
[Fee] Adults: 1,500 yen / University and college students: 1,100 yen / Junior and senior high school students: 500 yen / 65 years and older (proof required): 1,400 yen / Elementary school students and younger: Free / Persons with a disability certificate and caregivers (1 person) are free
*Reservation required for specified date and time
[Inquiries] 045-221-0300 (Yokohama Museum of Art)

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Applications for this giveaway have now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied.

[Gift application details]
We will give away tickets to the "Trialogue" exhibition, currently being held at the Yokohama Museum of Art (until Sunday, February 28, 2021), to 5 groups of 10 people.

[How to apply]
If you are interested, please apply using the application form below. We look forward to receiving your application.

[Application Deadline]
Until 23:59 on Wednesday , December 23

[Lottery and Winner Announcement]
The announcement of the winners will be replaced by the delivery of the tickets. (The tickets will be sent by the Kanagawa Prefectural Cultural Affairs Division.)
*If we are unable to deliver the tickets to the winner due to an unknown new address, etc., the prize will be invalidated.
*Personal information provided will not be used for any purpose other than the lottery.

*This exhibition requires online reservation with a designated date and time. Even if you have an invitation ticket, you must reserve a date and time online.