From Picasso to Warhol. "Trialogue" exhibition where the "collections" of the three museums resonate

When famous works by Monet, Renoir, etc. are introduced in the media, the feeling of "Let's go to an art museum!" The "Trialogue" exhibition currently being held at the Yokohama Museum of Art (until February 28, 2021 (Sunday)) is a bit lonely because of the corona crisis, and I wonder if there will be such a "feature work". I was.

However!

If you actually go there, you will find that famous works by Picasso, Warhol, etc. are lined up! This project was born from the idea of “bringing together” the works owned by public art museums in Yokohama, Aichi, and Toyama. I used to think that museums are places where people go to see exhibitions, but perhaps collecting such collections and conveying how to see and enjoy them is also an important role...?
We asked Mr. Shintaro Matsunaga, chief curator of the Yokohama Museum of Art, to answer such a simple question.

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

The image is certainly strong. In fact, many museums in Japan are forced to hold "special exhibitions" several times a year that borrow large works, and display their own collections as "permanent exhibitions (collection exhibitions)" as a bonus. There is a surface that flows. However, this may be unique to Japan.
For example, when you visit the Louvre Museum or the Orsay Museum, you can see wonderful collections whenever you visit, 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 of their own collections are not sufficient to satisfy visitors. Therefore, in order to meet the expectations of everyone, the emphasis is on exhibitions that borrow large works.

What kind of art museum jobs are required other than exhibitions?

Of course, the planning and management of exhibitions is one of the duties of an art museum, but the core of the work is the collection of works. Following the flow of art history, we will collect works that should be left to the future and pass them on to the next generation. In other words, it can be said that the collection is the identity of the museum. It is the curator's job to investigate and research the collected works, and the exhibition can be positioned as a place to present the results.

So this Trialogue exhibition was made possible because the concept of collecting works from the three museums is similar.

That's right. If the appeal of a single museum's collection is weak, why not join forces with other museums that collect collections based on similar concepts? That is the beginning of this project. When I reviewed domestic resources to hold an attractive exhibition on a limited budget, the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art caught my attention. Since both museums share the same guidelines for collecting works as the Yokohama Museum of Art, if the three museums work together, it will be possible to complement each other's weak points and gain a better understanding of 20th-century Western art. With that in mind, when I approached him, he willingly agreed.

For example, Pablo Picasso's "Woman Sleeping in an Armchair" (1927) is one of the "faces" of this museum, but "Woman with a Blue Shawl" (1902) owned by the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art 'Woman in an Armchair' (1923) and 'Woman Sitting' (1960), which depict women from different eras, reveal a different world.
Also, at this museum, Juan Miró is "Flowers and Butterflies" (1922-23), but for Aichi it is "Painting" (1925), and for Toyama it is "Man Smoking a Pipe" (1925). Milo”. For repeaters of the Yokohama Museum of Art, the style is so different that they feel "Huh?" However, by arranging these three works, you can see that Miró's painting career has changed dramatically in just a few years, and I think you can enjoy familiar works from a new perspective.

It seems that there will be more “collaborations” with domestic museums in the future.

of course. There are 20 museums that are likely to hold interesting exhibitions by matching with our collection, so the combinations are endless. Due to the coronavirus crisis, it is difficult to borrow works from overseas, but if you think about making use of your own collections, I think that there will be more projects in which domestic museums will collaborate with each other.

The Yokohama Museum of Art has a collection of approximately 13,000 works, but it is not possible to utilize them 100%. is a fact. It goes without saying that it is important for us curators to deepen our research on artists and their works in order to make the most of our precious collections. The "Trialogue" exhibition was a good opportunity not only to bring together and exhibit works from each other's collections, but also to deepen our investigation and research by including works from other museums.

After the “Trialogue” exhibition ends, the Yokohama Museum of Art will be closed for more than two years due to large-scale renovation work. What are the curators doing in the meantime?

As I said earlier, "Exhibitions are one of the jobs of museums," but in reality, holding about four exhibitions a year is all we can do, so we don't have enough time to research and research the collection. I couldn't break it. In that sense, it is a rare opportunity to be closed for more than two years, so I would like to work on something that I have not been able to do until now. It's a chance to increase your knowledge through training at an outside museum, and it would be nice if you could review your own collection and build a new perspective.
Please look forward to the reopening!

triarogue
Yokohama Museum of Art , Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art , Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art
20th Century Western Art Collection
[Date] Saturday, November 14th to Sunday, February 28th, 2021
[Opening hours] 10:00-18:00 (admission until 17:30)
[Venue] Yokohama Museum of Art
[Closed] Thursdays (except February 11), December 29 (Tue) - January 3, 2021 (Sun), February 12 (Fri)
[Fee] General ¥1,500 / University/vocational school students ¥1,100 / Junior high and high school students ¥500 / 65 years old and above (certificate required) ¥1,400 / Elementary school students and younger free / Persons with disabilities and caregivers (1 first name) free
* Reservation system for specifying the date and time
[Inquiries] 045-221-0300 (Yokohama Museum of Art)

* Please see here for details.

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Application for this gift has ended. Thank you very much for your application.

[ Overview of gift application ]
We will present 10 people in 5 pairs of tickets for the "Trialogue" exhibition currently being held at the Yokohama Museum of Art (until Sunday, February 28, 2021).

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

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

[Lottery/winning announcement]
The announcement of the winner will be replaced by the shipping of the viewing ticket. (It will be mailed from the Kanagawa Prefectural Culture Division.)
* If the ticket cannot be delivered due to the winner's address being unknown, etc., the winning will be invalidated.
* Personal information received will not be used for any purpose other than the lottery.

*This exhibition requires an online date and time reservation system. Even if you have an invitation ticket, you need to specify the online date and time.
Please check the special site for reservations and other details.