Exhibition
Schedule
2026
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The 50th Year of the Sompo Museum of Art
Albert Marquet : A Retrospective
2026.09.22（Tue）- 12.13（Sun）
Current 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
The 130th Anniversary of the Birth of Togo Seiji：A Retrospective
2027.01.09（Sat）- 02.21（Sun）
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（Sat）- 03.28（Sun）
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.
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Mode Française —L’Art de l’élégance (Temp.)
2027.04.24（Sat）- 06.27（Sun）
Introducing of the exhibition
Fashion, ever-changing with the times, serves as a mirror of society. This exhibition traces the evolution of fashion as depicted in works of art, chie y French, from the mid–19th century to the early 20th century, portraying the women who lived through each era. From the Second Empire and the Belle Époque to the “Années folles” (Roaring Twenties) that followed the First World War, works are scheduled to be exhibited, including oil paintings and prints (posters).
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Gateway to Tech Art
2027.07.17（Sat）- 08.29（Sun）
Introducing of the exhibition
In our AI-driven world, this exhibition presents art that uses technology to oer exciting experiences and fresh insights. It features approximately 14 diverse works spanning from the 2000s to today’s young artists, showcasing light, movement, and interaction. Within worlds of light and shadow, with some works evoking early video games and magic lanterns, the exhibition oers a stimulating journey for your senses and intellect, inviting both surprise and philosophical reflection.
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The Barbizon School(Temp.)
2027.09.18（Sat）- 12.12（Sun）
Introducing of the exhibition
Centered around the outstanding Barbizon School collection of the National Galleries of Scotland, and complemented by works from Japanese collections, this exhibition traces the development of modern French landscape painting in the 19th century through oil paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs. Drawing attention to the mutual in uence between British and French landscape painting, it follows the movement from the years leading up to the birth of the Barbizon School to the rich and varied expressions of its artists, including Corot and Millet. Expanding its scope to Impressionism and British landscape painting of the late 19th century, the exhibition surveys the rich lineage of modern landscape painting with the Barbizon School at its heart.
2028
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Photography and Architecture (Temp.)
2028.01.08（Sat）- 02.20（Sun）
Introducing of the exhibition
This exhibition traces, from the 19th century, shortly after the invention of photography, to 20th-century modernism, how architecture and cities have been recorded, analyzed, and transformed into images through photography. Photography has captured more than just the outward appearance of buildings, it has conveyed the lives and memories of the people inscribed in them, along with changes in society itself. The exhibition explores the role photography has played in observing cities and eras through the lens of architecture.
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FACE2028 / The Way of Paintings 2028
2028.03.04（Sat）- 03.26（Sun）
Introducing of the exhibition
This will be the 16th open-call exhibition for two-dimensional works. As a “gateway to success for new and emerging artists regardless of age or aliation,” the exhibition will feature approximately 60 award-winning and selected works chosen from submissions nationwide. We will also present Audience Awards based on votes cast by exhibition visitors. In addition, “The Way of Paintings 2028,” held concurrently in the 3F Exhibition Gallery, will showcase ve to ten new and recent works by each of the artists who won the Grand Prix and Excellent Work Awards at FACE2027. Enjoy works that capture the sensibilities of our times through a wide variety of techniques and motifs.