[The Magic of Art 02] The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura Annex: Passing on 40 years of thoughts and collections to the future

The Museum of Modern Art, Kanagawa Prefecture, was established in 1951 within the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura.
It began during the post-war reconstruction period and has continued its activities while changing its structure to suit the situation, such as expanding storage facilities and securing space for permanent exhibitions. The Kamakura Annex opened in 1984, the Hayama Hall in 2003, and with the closure of the Kamakura Hall in the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in 2016, the museum now consists of two buildings: the Hayama Hall and the Kamakura Annex. Nagato Saki will become the museum's eighth director on April 1, 2024.

- Three months have passed since Nagato-san became the new director.

Nagato : I have been a curator and chief curator at the Museum of Modern Art, Kanagawa since 1993, and have been the head of the planning department since 2018. I am originally from Kanagawa and have loved art since I was a child, so I have fond memories of the Museum of Modern Art, Kanagawa.

-What impression do you have since becoming a curator?

Nagato: I feel like the past 30 years have been full of change.
It was a joy to witness the milestone closing and reopening of the Kamakura and Hayama art museums, but we have been hit by a series of unexpected natural disasters. The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 2024 still leave me feeling anxious. As someone involved with art, I am concerned about the preservation and protection of artworks, just as I am concerned about our lives and livelihoods.

-I heard that the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama has a dedicated person in charge of preservation and restoration.

Nagato: The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995 raised awareness of the importance of preservation and restoration at our museum, and when the Hayama branch opened in 2003, we set up a work room and assigned specialized staff to it.

-Before that, did you have to hire an outside repair technician each time?

Nagato : Yes. Incidentally, conservation and restoration is not simply about making things look good. Damaged works are repaired, but depending on their condition, it may be possible to preserve them as is. At the restoration planning stage, curators and restorers work together, and each work must be carefully considered, including a thorough investigation of the artist's intentions and the historical context in which they were painted. By being able to carry out the restoration work in-house, we are now able to take a long-term view of the collection and consider the necessity and timing of treatment.

Initiatives to "receive, protect, and preserve"

-Mr. Hashiguchi, there was a message from Director Nagato.

Hashiguchi : Yes. I'm a curator specializing in preservation and restoration, but I feel there are still few staff in the same position at other museums. Recently, we've seen not only major earthquakes, but also an increase in torrential rains and large typhoons. At our museum, a large outdoor sculpture sustained fatal damage in Typhoon Faxai in September 2019, and was restored. The details of this restoration are also explained in the exhibition. I hope that by viewing the "Respond, Protect, Preserve" exhibition, you will come to understand the significance of preservation and restoration.

-At the exhibition, first of all, there was a row of restoration tools right at the entrance. I was thrilled to see the familiar stationery and surprised by the number of tools.

Hashiguchi Painting not only improves the surface of the artwork, but also the back and frame. Even in the perfect environment of a museum, artworks will slowly deteriorate over a long period of time, so much of the work involves "preventing" serious illness, like "preventing illness" in humans.

Scene from the venue (tools used for restoration) Photo: Katsuaki Sato

-The before and after pictures of the oil paintings were amazing, and the explanations for each piece were also very interesting to read.

Thank you, Hashiguchi . I was particular about the explanations, which not only explain the cause of the damage and the details of the repair, but also the reasons why that treatment was chosen.

Scenery from the venue Photo: Katsuaki Sato

-I heard that you recently held a workshop on "cleaning outdoor sculptures."

There are 20 outdoor sculptures at the Hashiguchi Hayama Museum and 8 at the Kamakura Annex. The outdoor sculptures are exposed to direct sunlight, wind and rain every day. There are also insects and birds, and as they are located near the sea, the air has a high salt concentration. They are inspected daily, and once a year they are cleaned using scrubbing brushes, dusters and high-pressure washers. This time, we held a workshop to let people know how to care for outdoor sculptures.

-What were the participants' impressions?

Hashiguchi :Everyone had a great time working with the high-pressure washer, and we cleaned every corner (laughs). I think that the cleaning process allowed the visitors to come into contact with the sculptures and feel closer to them.

Shin Hongo, Voice of the Sea, 1950, bronze, Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Photography: Keizo Kioku

Celebrating 40 years and the future of Kamakura Annex

-Finally, Director Nagato, please tell us about your future plans.

Nagato : We often hear the word "diversity," and both the genres of artworks and the way they are exhibited have changed. We also want to present the diverse works in our collection in a variety of ways. For example, we are looking to make the museum an even more appealing place, such as by presenting them in a way that transcends time and by arranging them in ways that extend beyond the exhibition rooms, so please look forward to it.

Furthermore, as a museum with specialist conservation and restoration staff, we would like to continue to sincerely communicate the importance of this issue.

Text by Mai Shimura (editor/writer)

Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura Annex
Address: 2-8-1 Yukinoshita, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Phone number: 0467-22-5000
Official website: here