Taito City
Lecture & Culture
2026.07.23–10.07
Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum: The Scenery of This Place—Ueno, Ōmuta, Buenos Aires
Special Exhibition
Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
"Landscapes of This Place—Ueno, Ōmuta, Buenos Aires" Now Open
An exhibition that looks at 100 years from three places
To mark the 100th anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum’s opening, the special exhibition "Landscapes of This Place—Ueno, Ōmuta, Buenos Aires" is being held.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum opened in 1926 in Ueno Park, Tokyo, as Japan’s first public art museum. Its name at the time was "Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum." This exhibition reflects on the museum’s 100-year journey through creative activities carried out in three places: Ueno, Ōmuta, and Buenos Aires.
It follows the history of the museum alongside the scenery of Ueno; the path of a painter who continued to work self-taught in Ōmuta, Fukuoka; and research in Buenos Aires, Argentina, sparked by a single painting made in 1926. By tracing different places and individual practices in parallel, the exhibition moves beyond the "center/periphery" framework to contemplate the fundamental meaning of artistic expression.
Highlights of the Exhibition
PART 01
A century of "Ueno" revisited through diverse materials
Part I, "Ueno—100 Years of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum," presents a wide range of records, including paintings, prints, photographs, and materials from the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Archives.
It looks back from the birth of the Tokyo (Prefectural) Art Museum, through wartime and postwar years, to activities after the opening of the new building in 1975, alongside views of Ueno from the same periods. From multiple perspectives, you can trace both the history of exhibitions held at the museum and the ways Ueno has transformed as a cultural place.
PART 02
The creative trajectory of the self-taught painter Shigeo Egami introduced in Tokyo for the first time
Part II, "Ōmuta—100 Years of Shigeo Egami," focuses on the work of Shigeo Egami (1912–2014), who lived in Ōmuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, and steadfastly painted as a self-taught, independent artist.
Using familiar materials such as pencil, watercolor, and oil pastel/crayon, Egami continued to engage with the landscapes close at hand. Through around 400 works—including woodcuts, experimental abstract paintings, and dyed-paper pieces—the exhibition traces his long creative path. This is the first opportunity for Egami’s works to be presented in Tokyo in a comprehensive manner.
PART 03
A research project starting from 《The Zinnia Garden》
Starting from the painting 《The Zinnia Garden》, regarded as the first item in the collection of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, this research project pursues the mysteries surrounding the presumed author “藤岡鉄太郎.” Focusing on a person with the same name who went to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1927 and worked in the landscaping and floriculture industries, we trace the trajectories of the work and the individual across 100 years. In addition, based on flower photographs collected through a public call, we will produce a page-a-day calendar for 2027.
Recommended for
Recommended for those interested in the history of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the cultural landscape of Ueno, and for those who wish to carefully appreciate the works of the self-taught painter 江上茂雄.
It is also suitable for those interested not only in the works themselves but also in the creators, the places where the works were born, and the activities of individuals buried in history. For domestic and international travelers visiting Ueno, it will be an opportunity to learn about Tokyo’s museum culture while encountering stories of creation that connect Japan and overseas.
Image courtesy: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
Image courtesy: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
※ Upon presenting a ticket for the concurrently held special exhibition 「The British Museum’s Japanese Art Collection: A Riot of Flowers—Edo Paintings Across the Seas」 (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum), general visitors and those aged 65 and over may view this exhibition for “100 yen” (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum 100th-anniversary admission price).
※ Holders of a Physical Disability Certificate, Ai-no-Techo, Ryoiku-Techo, Mental Disability Health and Welfare Certificate, or A-bomb Survivor Health Handbook and one accompanying caregiver (up to 1 person) are admitted free of charge.
※ Visitors aged 18 and under, university students, high school students, vocational school students, those aged 65 and over, and holders of the above certificates must present documentation to verify eligibility.
※ On Mon., September 21 (public holiday), in observance of “Respect for the Aged Day,” visitors aged 65 and over are admitted free of charge.
※ On Thu., October 1, in observance of “Tokyo Citizens’ Day,” admission is free for everyone.
※ Elementary, junior high, and high school students within Tokyo, as well as equivalent persons, and their accompanying teachers are admitted free when visiting as part of school educational activities (advance application required).
※ On “Summer Night Museum” days only, entry after 17:00 grants a discount or free admission to this exhibition.
・Dates: Fridays between August 7 (Fri) and August 28 (Fri), 2026, for entry after 17:00
・Admission discount: General visitors and those aged 65 and over receive 200 yen off (ID required)
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