Ohara Museum of Art

photo by Taisyo · CC BY 3.0

photo by 663highland · CC BY 2.5

Japan's first museum of Western art, since 1930: inside, El Greco's Annunciation.

Behind a neoclassical façade overlooking the Kurashiki canal, the galleries hold works by El Greco, Monet and Gauguin together with collections of Japanese and Asian art and a wing of applied arts: a Western museum in the heart of a district of Edo-period warehouses, and for generations the only place in Japan to see these names without leaving the country.

Founded in 1930 by the businessman Ōhara Magosaburō at the urging of the painter Kojima Torajirō, who had selected the works during his travels in Europe: the idea, explicit from the start, was to bring Western art closer to the Japanese public at large without the need for a trip abroad. It is Japan's first museum of Western art.

ℹ️ Open 9:00–17:00. The collection's annexes (applied art, contemporary art) may be closed for long-term works: check on the official website which wings are open before your visit. Discounted or free admission for students of schools belonging to the ‘school members’ programme.

🚉 Kurashikishi · 10 min walk

Sources: ohara.or.jp

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