The Yokohama Museum of Art partially reopened on Friday, November 1. On Saturday, February 8, 2025, we will at last welcome its full reopening. To commemorate that longed-for event, we are holding the "Welcome Back, Yokohama" exhibition, hoping that including “Yokohama” as a keyword in the title will attract a wide variety of visitors. This exhibition is also the first planned by Kuraya Mika since she became the Yokohama Museum of Art’s director.

Highlights of the exhibition

1. New perspectives on the history of Yokohama

“Yokohama” is our core concept, “diversity” our guiding perspective. Through paintings, photographs, crafts, videos, and other works and reference materials, we dig deeply into the history of Yokohama from new perspectives, producing surprising insights.

2. Together for the first time after our long closure for renovations, masterpieces from our collection

Cézanne, Picasso, Magritte, Nara Yoshitomo—enjoy superb examples of modern and contemporary art.

3. Enjoy with your children

Our “Art as kids see it” corner combines works and easy-to-understand display techniques that both kids and their parents will enjoy. It is a great opportunity for parents and children to appreciate and discuss art.

Director’s message

At this new launch of the museum, the Welcome back, Yokohama exhibition is an opportunity to introduce the many masterpieces in our collection from new perspectives. We will also display works and reference materials from other institutions in Yokohama, including the Yokohama History Museum, the Yokohama Archives of History, the Museum of Yokohama Urban History, and the Yokohama Civic Art Gallery. Moreover, a new work specially commissioned for this exhibition will be displayed in our Grand Gallery.

“Yokohama” is the key to interpreting the works and “diversity” the pillar of the concepts guiding our museum’s activities, post renewal. “Diversity” as our viewpoint sheds new light on the presence of subjects in Yokohama-related works that have been scarcely noticed until now—the people who lived in what is now Yokohama before the opening of the port, women, children, residents with various roots. This approach brings about many new discoveries in familiar works and Yokohama history. Moreover, probing deeply into local history will also bring us different views of world history.

To enhance the enjoyment of visitors with children, we are creating the “Art as kids see it” corner within an exhibition room. We are also strengthening the educational and outreach programs that are another pillar of our activities.

Welcome back, our exhibition title, embodies two meanings: “The Yokohama Museum of Art is back after three years” and “Extending a welcome to all of those of diverse backgrounds who have lived or now live in Yokohama.”

(Text by Kuraya Mika, director, Yokohama Museum of Art)