From Picasso to Warhol: The "Trialogue" exhibition brings together the collections of three museums.

When famous works by artists like Monet and Renoir are announced in the media as "coming to Japan," it really gets people excited about going to a museum! The "Trialogue" exhibition currently being held at the Yokohama Museum of Art (until February 28th, 2021) seemed a little disappointing, perhaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it didn't seem to have any such "highlight works."

But!

When I actually went there, I was surprised to find a whole collection of famous works by artists like Picasso and Warhol! This project apparently originated from the idea of public art museums in Yokohama, Aichi, and Toyama "bringing together" the works they each own. I used to think of art museums as just places to go to see exhibitions, but perhaps collecting collections like this and teaching people how to appreciate and enjoy them is also an important role...?
We asked Shintaro Matsunaga, chief curator at the Yokohama Museum of Art, to answer this simple question.

There's an image that "art museums are places to go to see exhibitions."

That image is certainly quite strong. In fact, many Japanese museums are so busy holding "special exhibitions" featuring borrowed masterpieces several times a year that their own collections are relegated to a secondary role in their "permanent exhibitions (collection exhibitions)." However, this might be a situation unique to Japan.
For example, at museums like the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, you can see wonderful collections whenever you visit, so the idea of "going to see a special exhibition" doesn't really come to mind. However, in the case of Japanese museums, their own collections are usually insufficient in terms of both quality and quantity to satisfy visitors. Therefore, in order to meet everyone's expectations, special exhibitions featuring borrowed masterpieces become very important.

What other tasks are required of museum staff besides exhibitions?

Of course, planning and managing exhibitions is one of the museum's tasks, but the core of it all is "collecting works of art." Collecting works that should be preserved for the future, tracing the flow of art history, and passing them on to the next generation—in other words, the collection itself can be said to be the museum's identity. The curator's job is to conduct research and studies on the collected works, and exhibitions can be seen as a venue for presenting the results of that research.

So, this "Trialogue" exhibition was made possible because the three museums share similar collection concepts, right?

That's right. If a single museum's collection alone isn't appealing enough, why not team up with other museums that collect collections with similar concepts? That was the starting point for this project. When we reviewed our domestic resources to hold an attractive exhibition within our limited budget, we came across the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art. Since both museums share the same collection guidelines as the Yokohama Museum of Art, we thought that if the three of us joined forces, we could complement each other's weaknesses and interpret 20th-century Western art more effectively. So we approached them, and they readily agreed.

For example, Pablo Picasso's "Woman Sleeping in an Armchair" (1927) is one of our museum's signature pieces, but when placed alongside works depicting women from different eras, such as "Woman with a Blue Shawl" (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, while at our museum, when we talk about Joan Miró, we're referring to "Flowers and Butterflies" (1922-23), for Aichi, it's "Painting" (1925), and for Toyama, it's "Man Smoking a Pipe" (1925) that represents "Miró." For repeat visitors to the Yokohama Museum of Art, the styles are so different that it might surprise you. However, by displaying these three works side by side, you can see the dramatic changes in Miró's artistic career that occurred in just two or three years, and I think you'll be able to enjoy familiar works from a new perspective.

It seems likely that we'll see more "collaborations" between museums in Japan in the future.

Absolutely. There are about 20 museums that could potentially host interesting exhibitions by matching our collection with theirs, so the possibilities for combinations are endless. While the current situation with the pandemic makes it difficult to borrow works from overseas, if we consider how to make the most of our own collections, I think we will see an increase in collaborative projects between domestic museums in the future.

The Yokohama Museum of Art has a collection of approximately 13,000 works, but unfortunately, we are not able to utilize 100% of them. It is true that there are works that have not been thoroughly researched or that rarely have the opportunity to be exhibited. Needless to say, in order to make the most of our valuable collection, it is important for us curators to deepen our research on the artists and their works. The "Trialogue" exhibition was not only an opportunity to bring together and exhibit works that each museum possesses, but also an excellent opportunity to deepen our research and study by incorporating works held by other museums.

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

Earlier I mentioned that "exhibitions are one of the museum's responsibilities," but in reality, we're barely able to manage about four exhibitions a year, and we haven't been able to dedicate enough time to researching and studying our collection. In that sense, a closure of more than two years is a rare opportunity, so I'd like to tackle things we haven't been able to do before. It's a chance to enhance our knowledge through training at other museums, and it would be great if we could re-examine our own collection and develop new perspectives.
Please look forward to our grand reopening!

Trialogue
Yokohama Museum of Art , Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art , Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art
20th Century Western Art Collection
[Exhibition Period] November 14th (Sat) - February 28th, 2021 (Sun)
[Opening Hours] 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Last entry at 5:30 PM)
[Venue] Yokohama Museum of Art
[Closed days] Thursdays (except February 11th), December 29th (Tue) - January 3rd, 2021 (Sun), February 12th (Fri)
[Admission Fees] General: ¥1,500 / University and vocational school students: ¥1,100 / Junior and senior high school students: ¥500 / Seniors (65 and over, proof required): ¥1,400 / Elementary school students and younger: Free / Persons with disabilities and their caregivers (1 person): Free
*Reservations required (specified date and time)
[Inquiries] 045-221-0300 (Yokohama Museum of Art)

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The application period for this giveaway has ended. Thank you for your many entries.

[Gift Application Details]
We are giving away tickets to the "Trialogue" exhibition, currently being held at the Yokohama Museum of Art (until February 28th, 2021), to 5 pairs of people (10 people total).

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

[Application Deadline]
Until December 23rd (Wed) 23:59

[Lottery and Winner Announcement]
Winners will be notified by mail with their admission tickets. (Tickets will be sent by the Kanagawa Prefectural Cultural Affairs Division.)
*If we are unable to deliver the tickets due to reasons such as the winner's address being unknown after moving, the winning entry will be invalidated.
*The personal information you provide will not be used for any purpose other than the lottery.

*This exhibition requires online time-slot reservations via the internet. Even those with invitation tickets must reserve a time slot online.