As the Meiji Era was denoted by the words "civilization" and "enlightenment," foreign knowledge and culture rapidly poured into Japan at that time. In the Taisho Era, currents of freedom and depth penetrated. The Showa Era experienced the Pacific War and then, Japanese society changed drastically. The rapid fluctuation in modern Japan also largely affected the art world. Painters in the Japanese art world tried to explore new Japanese painting styles in accordance with changes in society, absorbing the expression of Western painting or pursuing unique aesthetics independently from tradition. They actually tried to accept and conquer the turbulent times through art. Today, masterpieces from each period give us a sense of that enthusiasm within the changing Japanese art world.
Celebrating the fact that Japan will start a new era in 2019, we will hold this exhibition to display Japanese paintings ranging from the Meiji, Taisho to Showa Eras together. This will provide an opportunity to review previous times through master paintings under the new era. We hope that you will enjoy these historical Japanese works, transcending time and taking you back to a time when Yokoyama Taikan, Takeuchi Seiho and other great masters flourished.

We will showcase animal paintings by modern Japanese painters. The display will include works depicting sleeping puppies or cats, and catch the agile movements of wild racoon dogs and monkeys. We hope you will appreciate these animal paintings, as depicted by the painters’ keen eyes.