Spring Exhibitions Also Must-see: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Allows Visitors to Enjoy Wide Array of Modern Art and Craftwork Nurtured in Kyoto

          The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, located in the ancient Japanese capital, is an art museum possessing a broad array of works associated with Kyoto. In the leading cultural city in Japan, really diverse artworks have been nurtured during its long history. The museum stores and exhibits a wide variety of artworks such as ceramic artworks, dyeing artworks, metal artworks and other craftworks, including those by artists designated as living national treasures, besides Japanese paintings based on traditional techniques as well as Western-style paintings, sculptures and photos inspired by Western art. Artworks on display at the museum are replaced several times a year, allowing visitors to enjoy the diversity of artworks from a new perspective whenever they visit there.

          In addition to some of these collections on display, an exhibition of Japanese "kimono" folk costumes and other works Kyoto textile-dyeing artists made from the 1960s to date is currently underway at the museum. It will be followed by an exhibition of ceramic works by prominent modern Kyoto potter Kawai Kanjiro.

          Okazaki Park, where the museum is located, is one of Kyoto's best cultural areas, dotted with museums, theaters, a library and a zoo as well as famous old shrines and temples, including Heian Jingu Shrine and Nanzen-ji Temple. The area, known as a popular cherry blossom-viewing spot, is best suited for taking a stroll.

          Main exhibitions in spring and summer

          - "Kyoto Textiles: From the 1960s to the Present"
          Underway through April 14
          Techniques of "dyeing" and "weaving" as well as designs by 28 Kyoto dyeing artists from the 1960s to date are being shown through their works on display.

          - "Potter Kawai Kanjiro: Works from the Kawakatsu Collection"
          April 26-June 2
          The exhibition will introduce ceramic works by Kawai Kanjiro, a leading artist in the folk art "Mingei" movement in Japan.

          Free guide apps explaining artworks on display, mainly collection exhibitions, are available in English, Chinese and Korean.

          For further details, visit the museum's official website:
          www.momak.go.jp/English/

          SOURCE: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto