In 2025, which marks 100 years since the beginning of the Showa era and 80 years since the end of World War II, we present an exhibition that reflects on the history and culture of the period from the 1930s to the 1970s through the lens of art. Centered on works from our museum’s collection and enriched with works and materials from other institutions, the exhibition focuses on the documentary role of visual media such as painting, photography, and film, while also examining the role of memory in reconstructing the past through a selection of works in these media. In doing so, we explore how museums, as repositories of memory, can offer ways of connecting the past with the present and future.

Art is often said to be a “mirror of the times.” Its visual images are imprinted with the social condition and culture at the time of creation through artists’ sensitivities.

There is more to it than that. Art lives on through the ages and is therefore given new meanings by later generations. What art reflects are the changes in people’s sense of beauty and the way they look at society and history over the course of time, from the past when the works of art were created to the present.

Eighty years after the end of World War II, we face the question of how generations with no direct experience of the war can engage with the past. Ultimately, the answer depends on how we, living in the present, choose to act. This exhibition will feature 280 works including War Record Paintings and materials, mainly from the museum’s collection, as well as loans from other institutions. Documents of the past remain available for us to open and explore, weaving new memories of war. We believe that the museum can serve as a collaborative space where memories are created and shared.