The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto

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About MoMAK

Museum History

The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (MoMAK) was established on its present site on March 1, 1963 as The Annex Museum of The National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. Its building, formerly the auxiliary building of The Kyoto Municipal Exhibition Hall for Industrial Affairs, was granted from Kyoto City after restoration. On June 1, 1967, The Kyoto Annex Museum officially became The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. Seventeen years later, the old building was dismantled and the present building, designed by Mr. Fumihiko MAKI, a professor of Tokyo University, and his associates, was completed. The museum was opened to the public on October 26, 1986, with 9,761.99 m² total floor area and 2,604.94 m² exhibition area.

MoMAK is a national institution devoted to the collection and preservation of artworks and related reference materials of the twentieth century in Japan and other parts of the world. Particular emphasis is placed on artists or artistic movements in Kyoto and the Kansai area (the western region of Japan), such as Japanese-style paintings of the Kyoto School, while overviewing the mainstreams of Japanese modern art and craft movements as well as works from all over the world covering every genre of the crafts.

In addition to five special and traveling exhibitions per year, the Museum rotates the works on display in the Collection Gallery approximately five times per year. Included therein are specially themed sub-exhibitions that are synchronized with the concurrent exhibition or present the Museum’s research results. The Collection Gallery also acts as the site for workshops and other educational programs organized by the Museum.