Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art

photo by Angaurits · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by 663highland · CC BY 2.5

Nara Yoshitomo's dog, 8.5 m tall, plays on the name: 犬 and 県 are read the same way, ‘ken’.

Aoki Jun's building, opened in 2006, is cut into white trenches that echo the archaeological excavations of Sannai-Maruyama, right next door: inside, the hall devoted to ‘Aleko’ holds three of the four stage backdrops that Marc Chagall painted in 1942 for the ballet of the same name, each about 9 by 15 metres. Outside, the あおもり犬 by Nara Yoshitomo (born in Aomori), crouching and 8.5 metres tall, plays on the homophony between 犬 (dog) and 県 (prefecture), both read ‘ken’.

A museum opened on 13 July 2006 next to the Sannai-Maruyama site, with a collection that brings together artists born in the prefecture (Munakata Shikō, Nara Yoshitomo) and international works such as Chagall's backdrops.

ℹ️ Open 9:30–17:00, last entry 16:30; closures for exhibition installation are shown in the calendar on the official website. Permanent collection: adults 700 yen, university students 400 yen, free up to the age of 18; temporary exhibitions have their own prices. By bus, about 20 minutes from JR Aomori or 10 from JR Shin-Aomori (‘Kenritsu Bijutsukan-mae’ bus stop).

🚉 ShinAomoriEki Minamiguchi · 35 min walk

Sources: aomori-museum.jp · aomori-museum.jp · ja.wikipedia.org

All series · Open the map