About Mie Prefectural Art Museum
The Mie Prefectural Art Museum was established in 1982 in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, and was renovated in 2003 to further enhance its facilities. As part of an expansion and renovation project to commemorate the museum's 20th anniversary, a memorial hall for YANAGIHARA Yoshitatsu, one of Japan's leading postwar sculptors, was added to the southeastern part of the museum, marking a new start for the museum.
The Mie Prefectural Art Museum focuses on permanent exhibitions based on the idea that "the true value of an art museum is tested by its permanent collection. The museum's permanent collection is divided into four periods during the year, and displays works that capture the flow of art from the modern era to the present day. Another unique feature of the museum is that, unusually for a public museum in Japan, it has staff members specializing in conservation and restoration. The Mie Prefectural Art Museum also holds independent exhibitions from its own perspective, as well as collaborative exhibitions organized in cooperation with various organizations.
Mie Prefectural Art Museum Access & Information
Address | 11 Otani-cho, Tsu City, Mie Prefecture |
Tel | 059-227-2100 |
Access from nearest station |
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Hours | 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Admission until 4:30 p.m.) |
Closed | Mondays ( If Monday is a national holiday, the museum will be closed on the following weekday.) |
Admission | General admission: 310 yen (240 yen for groups) / Students (universities, vocational schools, etc.): 210 yen (160 yen for groups) / Free for high school students and younger
*Permanent exhibition ticket prices (includes admission to the permanent exhibition and the YANAGIHARA Yoshitatsu Memorial Hall). Ticket prices for special exhibitions vary depending on the exhibition. |
Facilities | Coin lockers, multipurpose restrooms, wheelchairs for rent, strollers for rent, family room, nursing room, general parking lot (capacity: approx. 130 cars), compassionate parking lot (3 cars) |
Note | Cautions for access, overseas support, etc. |
Official Website |
Highlights of Mie Prefectural Art Museum
Collections
The Mie Prefectural Art Museum's collection focuses on works by artists closely related to Mie, works that trace the flow of modern Western-style painting since the Meiji era, foreign works that have deeply influenced Japanese modern art, and Spanish art. The number of works currently in the collection is about 6,000. Among them, the collection of modern Western-style paintings is particularly substantial, offering an overview of the flow of art from the Meiji to the Showa eras. In addition to artists with ties to Mie such as FUJISHIMA Takeji, who was assigned to Mie Prefecture as a teacher at the old junior high school, the collection also includes masterpieces by KURODA Seiki,OKADA Saburosuke,MURAYAMA Kaita, and SEKINE Shoji, who were active during the Meiji and Taisho periods, and SAEKI Yuzo, who learned in Paris.
Also, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the museum, Yanagihara Yoshitatsu, one of Japan's leading postwar sculptors, donated a collection of his sculptures and drawings to the museum. In response to this donation, the YANAGIHARA Yoshitatsu Memorial Hall was newly established at the time of the renewal of the museum.
The "Sliding Door Paintings of the Former Nagashima Family" (National Important Cultural Property) by SOGA Shohaku, a painter of the mid-Edo period who has been attracting attention in recent years as a painter in the lineage of the "Kisou (Quixotic)" school of painting, is also worth notes.
Architecture
The architecture of the Mie Prefectural Art Museum was designed by the Tomiya Architectural Office, which was established by architect TOMIIE Hiroyasu and has been involved in many public works projects. The building construction was carried out by Taisei Corporation.
During the renewal, the top priority was to "harmonize with the building built 20 years ago," respecting the museum's history and ensuring that many people would not feel out of place. The renewal was designed by the Mie Prefectural General Affairs Bureau, Repair Division, Sakakura Architectural Institute Osaka Office, and Yamada Architectural & Structural Office, and constructed by Taisei, Nippon Construction, and Kishida Specified Construction Joint Venture.
Representative Past Exhibits
The museum has held many exhibitions related to Mie Prefecture, including an exhibition focusing on TAKEJI Fujishima, a master of modern Japanese painting and a teacher in Mie Prefecture, and OKADA Saburosuke, who both studied under KURODA Seiki and was simultaneously awarded the Order of Culture in 1937, and an exhibition featuring MOTONAGA Sadamasa, a painter and picture book artist who was born in Mie Prefecture. In the past, the museum has also held special exhibitions of SOGA Sobaku, a renowned painter of eccentricity, and SAEKI Yuzo, a Western-style painter who lived during the Taisho and Showa periods and died young.
〈Main Exhibitions〉
The Genius of Edo - SOGA Sobaku Exhibition" (1998)
80 Years after His Death: SAEKI Yuzo Retrospective" (2008)
FUJISHIMA Takeji and OKADA Saburosuke: The Ideal Home of Modern Japanese Western-style Painting" (2011)
The 100th Anniversary of Motonaga Sadamasa's Birth" (2022)
Museum Shop
The Museum Shop on the first floor of the Mie Prefectural Art Museum offers catalogs of current and past exhibitions, postcards, and other art-related merchandise. The shop also offers a wide range of original goods created by the museum curators and traditional crafts from the local Mie Prefecture.
Opening hours | [Weekdays] 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. [Saturdays, Sundays and holidays] 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Opening hours are subject to change in some cases. |
Closed | Same as the museum |
Café/Restaurant Information
There is currently no restaurant or café open in the museum. Drinks can be purchased at the museum store or from vending machines next to the bicycle parking lot outside the museum.
Recommendations around Mie Prefectural Art Museum
Mie Prefectural Museum (MieMu)
The Mie Prefectural Museum (MieMu) houses materials related to the nature, history, and culture of Mie. It consists of three areas: the "Exchange and Creation Area," which includes a museum store, a learning and exchange space, and a children's experience exhibit room; the "Exhibition Area," where visitors can enjoy basic and special exhibits; and the "Museum Field," where visitors can enjoy outdoor activities while coming into contact with nature. The "Exchange and Creation Area" is home to the "Mie Elephant," a prehistoric elephant discovered in Tsu City, and its powerful reconstructed whole-body skeleton is a must-see.
There are no eating and drinking facilities inside the museum, but there are restaurants and cafes at the Mie Prefectural Cultural Center across the street. The Mie Prefectural Museum is located in Tsu, the same city as the Mie Prefectural Art Museum, and is a 15-minute walk from the museum.
Address | 3060 Isshindenkoudubeta, Tsu City, Mie Prefecture |
Tel | 059-228-2283 |
Access from the nearest station | Get off at the west exit of Tsu Station (Kintetsu Nagoya Line, JR Kisei Line, or Ise Railway), and take a bus bound for Sogo Bunka Center or Yumegaoka Danchi from bus stop No. 1 at the west exit of Tsu Station. |
Hours | [Interaction and Creation Area] [All days except holidays] 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. [Exhibition Area (Basic Exhibition Rooms and Special Exhibition Rooms)] [All days except holidays] 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Entry to exhibition rooms is by 4:30 p.m.) |
Closed | Mondays ( If Monday is a national holiday, the following day will be closed.), Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29-January 3), and other days as determined separately. |
Admission | [Basic Exhibitions] 520 yen for adults (410 yen for groups), 310 yen for students (universities, colleges, etc.) (240 yen for groups), free for high school students and younger [Special Exhibitions] Vary according to exhibition |
Facilities | wheelchairs for rent, multi-functional restrooms, children's restrooms, diaper changing stations, nursing room, 16 parking spaces for disabled persons, and approximately 1,400 general parking spaces (shared with the General Cultural Center) |
Official Website |
Japon Louvre Sculpture Museum
The Louvre Sculpture Museum is located less than 30 minutes drive west of the Mie Prefectural Art Museum. The museum was established in 1987 in Hakusan-cho, Tsu City, a town rich in nature, with the desire to share French art and art with the people of Japan. The works on display are reproductions created by the technical team of the Art Department of the Louvre in Paris. The sculptures are highly valuable because they were molded directly from the original, and even the scratches are identical to those of the real thing.
The "Venus de Milo" and the "Niquet de Samothrace," which are the first things that come to mind when one thinks of the Louvre Museum in Paris, can also be viewed here. Please enjoy every detail of these masterpieces loved by the world. There are no eating and drinking facilities inside the museum, however, you can check the official website for information on the director's recommended lunch spots.
Address | 1957 Sada Higashitani, Hakusan-cho, Tsu, Mie |
Tel | 059-262-1111 |
Access from the nearest station | 5 min. walk from Kintetsu "Sakakibara-onsenguchi" station. |
Opening hours | 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ( doors open until 4:30 p.m.) |
Closed | Open all year round |
Admission | Adults: 1,500 yen, students 65 and over: 1,000 yen, persons with disabilities: 1,000 yen, children (elementary and junior high school students): 800 yen, groups (30 or more people): 1,400 yen, children under elementary school age: free |
Facilities | Free parking available |
Official Website |