When the "visit to Japan" of famous works such as Monet and Renoir is introduced in the media, the feeling of "Let's go to the museum!" I feel a little lonely at the "Trialogue" exhibition (until Sunday, February 28, 2021) being held at the Museum of Yokohama Museum of Art, perhaps because of the corona wreckage, or if there is no such "feature work". I did.

However!

When you actually go there, you will find a lineup of famous works such as Picasso and Warhol! It seems that this project was born from the idea that the public art museums in Yokohama, Aichi, and Toyama "bring" their own works. I thought that the museum was a place to go to see exhibitions, but it may be an important role to collect these collections and convey their perspectives and ways of enjoying them ...?
Shintaro Matsunaga, the chief curator of the Museum Shop at Yokohama Museum of Art, answered such a simple question.

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

Certainly that image may be strong. In fact, many Japanese museums are busy holding "planned exhibitions" that borrowed large works several times a year, and the collections of their own museums are exhibited as "permanent exhibitions (collection exhibitions)" as a bonus. There is a flow side. However, this may be a situation peculiar to Japan.
For example, at the Louvre Museum and the Musée d'Orsay, you can always see wonderful collections, so you don't have the idea of "going to see a special exhibition." However, in the case of Japanese art museums, in most cases, the quality and quantity are not sufficient to satisfy visitors with their own collections. Therefore, in order to meet everyone's expectations, the special exhibition that borrowed the masterpiece was emphasized.I will do it.

What kind of museum work is required other than exhibitions?

Of course, planning and managing an exhibition is one of the works of the museum, but the basis is "collecting works". Following the flow of art history, we will collect works that should be left 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 research and research the collected works, and an exhibition can be regarded as a place to present the results.

It means that this "Trialogue" exhibition was realized because the concept of collecting works in the three buildings is close.

That's right. If the appeal of a single collection is weak, why not team up with museums that collect collections based on the same concept? That is the beginning of this project. When I reviewed domestic resources to hold an attractive exhibition on a limited budget, I noticed the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art. In both museums, the guidelines for collecting works overlap with the Museum of Yokohama Museum of Art, so if you join hands in the three museums, you may be able to complement each other's thin parts and read 20th century Western art. When I called out with that in mind, he kindly agreed.

For example, Pablo Picasso's "A Girl Asleep in an Armchair" (1927)) Is one of the "faces" of the museum, but "Woman with a blue shoulder" (1902) in the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, "Woman in an armchair" (1923) and "Woman sitting" in the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art. A different world can be seen by lining up with the work (1960), which depicts women of different ages.
Also, in our museum, Juan Milo is "flowers and butterflies" (1922-23), but for Aichi it is "painting" (1925), and for Toyama it is "the man who smokes a pipe" (1925). Miro ". For repeaters at the Museum of Yokohama, the style is so different that it feels like "What?" However, by arranging these three works, you can see that Miro's painting industry has undergone a dramatic transition in just a few years, and I think that you can enjoy the familiar works from a new perspective.

It seems that there will be "collaboration" by museums in Japan in the future.

of course. There are 20 museums where interesting exhibitions can be held by matching with our collection, so the variety of combinations is endless. There is a situation where it is difficult to borrow works from overseas, such as Corona Sorrow, but considering the utilization of the collection of my own museum, I think that the number of projects that domestic museums will form a tag team will increase in the future.

The Museum Shop at Yokohama Museum of Art has a collection of about 13,000 items, but they are not 100% utilized, and unfortunately there are works that have not been fully researched and works that are rarely exhibited. Is a fact. It goes without saying that it is important for us curators to deepen their research on writers and works in order to utilize their precious collections. The "Trialogue" exhibition was a good opportunity not only to bring together the works owned by each other and display them, but also to deepen the research and research with the works owned by other museums.

After the "Trialogue" exhibition closes, the Museum of Yokohama Museum of Art will be closed for more than two years due to large-scale renovation work. What are the curators doing during that time?

I mentioned earlier that "exhibitions are one of the works of museums", but in reality, there is a situation where you can do your best by turning exhibitions about four times a year, so you have enough time to investigate and research the collection. I couldn't break it. In that sense, closing for more than two years is a rare opportunity, so I would like to work on something that I couldn't do before. It's an opportunity to improve my knowledge through training at an outside museum, and I hope I can review my own collection and build a new perspective.
Please look forward to the reopening!

Trialogue
Yokohama Museum of Art Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art
20th Century Western Art Collection
[Session] November 14th (Sat) -February 28th, 2021 (Sun)
[Opening hours] 10: 00-18: 00 (Admission is until 17:30)
[Venue] Museum at Yokohama Museum of Art
[Closed] Thursday (excluding February 11), December 29 (Tuesday) -January 3, 2021 (Sunday), February 12 (Friday)
[Fee] General ¥ 1,500 / University / vocational school students ¥ 1,100 / Junior high school / high school students ¥ 500/65 years old and over (required)Certificate) ¥ 1,400 / Free for elementary school students and younger / Free for persons with a disability certificate and long-term care (1 person)
* Reservation required by date and time
[Inquiry] 045-221-0300 (Yokohama Museum of Art)

* Please see here for details.

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The application for this gift has been closed. Thank you for many applications.

SUMMARY gift applicants]
We will present 5 groups of 10 people with admission tickets for the "Trialogue" exhibition being held at the Museum Shop at Yokohama Museum of Art (until Sunday, February 28, 2021).

【Application method】
If you wish, please apply from the application form below. We are looking forward to your application.

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

[Lottery / Winning Announcement]
The announcement of the winners will be replaced by the shipping of the admission ticket. (It will be mailed from the Kanagawa Prefectural Culture Division.)
* If the winner's address cannot be delivered due to unknown moving address, etc., the winner will be invalidated.
* The personal information provided will not be used for any purpose other than the lottery.

* This exhibition requires online reservations on the Internet. Those who have an invitation ticket also need to specify the online date and time.
For reservations and other detailsyle = "color: # 008080"> Please check on the special site .