Exhibition
Schedule
2026
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The 50th Year of the Sompo Museum of Art
Eugène Boudin : maître de l’instantanéité
2026.04.11（土）- 06.21（日）
Current Exhibition
This marks the first major exhibition in Japan in approximately 30 years of the work of Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), known as the "Precursor of Impressionism." Boudin captured skies, clouds, seascapes, and herds of cattle with fresh colors and light, lively brushwork. His paintings brilliantly portray the light and atmosphere of various locales, including his native Normandy in northern France. Boudin placed great emphasis on working outdoors, en plein air, confronting the fleeting "moments" of ever-changing natural phenomena. This approach to painting opened the eyes of the young Claude Monet（1840-1926） and would eventually lead to the birth of Impressionism.
While Boudin is often discussed in relation to his seascapes depicting maritime scenes, his appeal extends far beyond this genre alone. This exhibition comprises approximately 100 works, primarily oil paintings, drawings, pastels, and prints. By focusing on the figures, architecture, and other subjects Boudin depicted, the exhibition reexamines, from a fresh perspective, the appeal of this artist who made significant contributions to the development of modern French landscape painting. -
The 50th Year of the Sompo Museum of Art
Yamaguchi Kayo: A Retrospective
2026.07.11（土）- 08.30（日）
Introducing of the exhibition
Yamaguchi Kayo (1899–1984) attended Kyoto City Specialized School for Painting while studying under Nishimura Goun (1877–1938). He became known mainly for works that used animals as the subject. After Nishimura died, he revived Shinchosha, a private painting school and research group, and became one of the most well-known artists to represent Kyoto’s art world. This exhibition lets visitors walk through many of Yamaguchi’s works from his early years to his final days, particularly focusing on three of his representative works from our collection. This retrospective exhibition brings Yamaguchi’s works, who had a deep connection with Kyoto, back to Tokyo for the first time in 27 years.
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The 50th Year of the Sompo Museum of Art
Albert Marquet : A Retrospective
2026.09.22（火）- 12.13（日）
Introducing of the exhibition
Born in Bordeaux, the great port city of southwestern France, Marquet met his close friend Henri Matisse in Paris and, together with a circle of fellow artists, developed the style known as Fauvism, characterized by pure color and free brushwork. Yet he never abandoned an approach grounded in close observation. Making distinctive use of what came to be called “Marquet’s gray,” and contrasting subtle middle tones and tonal values rich in nuance, he created landscapes that convey depth and light.
Marquet was deeply drawn to waterside scenes: the Seine as seen from his Paris home, as well as the ports and beaches he encountered on his travels in southern France and Algeria. He often returned to the same site repeatedly, painting it under different conditions of time and weather. From elevated viewpoints looking down from a window, he observed the interplay of water and architecture, structuring these scenes through simplified planes of color in order to bring out the essential underlying order of the landscape. He also lightly animated his compositions with figures, cars, and boats—motifs that evoke the pulse of urban life—rendered with an economical and supple touch. His exceptional draftsmanship, capable of capturing the essence of a subject with only a few strokes, earned him from Matisse the epithet “our Hokusai.”
This exhibition marks the first solo exhibition of Marquet in Japan in fully 35 years. It traces in detail the formative stages of his career and the evolution that led to his delicately wrought and highly refined mature style. At the same time, it focuses on waterside views as one of the most important motifs and themes in his art, while also highlighting the singular appeal of his late Pont-Neuf series. Around 90 carefully selected works, drawn from major public collections associated with the artist—including the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, the MuMa Le Havre (Musée d’art moderne André Malraux), and the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie de Besançon (with works on deposit from the Centre Pompidou)—as well as leading Japanese museums and private collections in Japan and France, will be brought together in one place.*During the exhibition period, we will be changing the exhibits of drawings and sketches.
First term: until November 1st (Sun), Second term: from November 3rd (Tue)
2027
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The 50th Year of the Sompo Museum of Art
130th Anniversary of the Birth of Togo Seiji (tentative)
2027.01.09（土）- 02.21（日）
Introducing of the exhibition
On the 50th anniversary of the Sompo Museum of Art, we will hold a solo exhibition to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of artist Togo Seiji (1897–1978), who contributed greatly to the establishment of this museum. The exhibition will extensively cover Togo’s works, including paintings of graceful female figures widely known as “Seiji Beauties,” early works showing his interest in avant-garde, sketches depicting overseas landscapes, and large-scale oil paintings from his later years, as well as related materials in our collection, including confectionery shop packaging and insurance brochure designs based on Togo’s original artwork.
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FACE2027 / The Way of Paintings 2027
2027.03.06（土）- 03.28（日）
Introducing of the exhibition
The 15th edition of our contemporary painting competition. As a “gateway to success for emerging artists regardless of age or affiliation,” the exhibition will feature nominated and winning works chosen from across Japan, and visitors will have the opportunity to vote for the Audience Award. We will also set up “The Way of Paintings2027” in the 3F Exhibition Gallery to introduce the FACE2026’s Grand Prix winner and the recipients of the Excellent Work Awards, with each artist’s display including 5 to 10 works. Enjoy works that capture the sensibilities of our times through a variety of techniques and motifs.