[2027] Notable Exhibition Schedule: Colorful Realm of Living Beings, Diva, the Great Kano School and Gilbert & George

In 2027, the full-opening commemorative exhibitions of the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, the 20th anniversary exhibition of the National Art Center, Tokyo and the 130th anniversary exhibitions of the Kyoto National Museum overlap. This article introduces, museum by museum in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka and Atami, the exhibitions whose dates had been announced by each museum or organizer by October 19, 2026. A calendar by opening period is included in the second half. Prices have not yet been announced for many of the exhibitions.

Key points of 2027: anniversaries, a full opening and a closure

Many exhibitions celebrate anniversaries. The National Art Center, Tokyo, opened in 2007, marks its 20th anniversary, and the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, opened in 1966, its 60th, while the Kyoto National Museum holds two special exhibitions commemorating the 130th anniversary of its opening. The MOA Museum of Art in Atami marks 10 years since its renovation. Among people, Raoul Dufy and Okoku Konoshima mark the 150th anniversaries of their births, and Gilbert & George 60 years since they met. In games, “Final Fantasy” turns 40 and “Kingdom Hearts” 25, each with a commemorative exhibition.

There are also developments at museums. The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, fully opened on November 3, 2026, and continues its commemorative special exhibitions until May 2027. The Idemitsu Museum of Arts, closed since the end of 2024 for the rebuilding of the Teigeki Building, holds a commemorative exhibition at the University Art Museum of Tokyo University of the Arts in Ueno. The Mori Art Museum will close for renovation from September 24, 2027 and is scheduled to reopen in late April 2028.

Exhibitions in Ueno, Tokyo

Tokyo National Museum

• Final Fantasy 40th Anniversary Exhibition “A World of Endless Fantasy” (Hyokeikan): Friday, January 8 – Sunday, April 4, 2027. It traces 40 years of the series through famous scenes and music, and includes new displays combining it with cultural properties from the Tokyo National Museum collection. Date-specified tickets on all days. For details, see our article on the FF40 exhibition.

• Special exhibition “The Tale of Genji: The Radiance of the Court” (Heiseikan): Tuesday, January 19 – Sunday, March 14, 2027. Traveling from the Kyoto National Museum, it brings together paintings, crafts and manuscripts depicting “The Tale of Genji.” For details, see our article on the Genji exhibition.

• Special exhibition “National Treasures: All About Miidera,” commemorating 1,100 years since Chisho Daishi received his posthumous title (Heiseikan): Tuesday, April 20 – Sunday, June 13, 2027. It brings together temple treasures associated with Chisho Daishi Enchin from Onjoji (Miidera) in Shiga, founded in the Asuka period.

From January 13 to March 22, there is also a collaboration with Juufuutei Raden.

Venue: Tokyo National Museum (13-9 Uenokoen, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
Official website: https://www.tnm.jp/

The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts

• Idemitsu Museum of Arts 60th Anniversary: Gems of the Idemitsu Collection at Geidai: Saturday, March 27 – Sunday, May 23, 2027. The National Treasure “Ban Dainagon Emaki” (Illustrated Tale of the Courtier Ban Dainagon) will be shown in full for the first time in 10 years, along with works by Jakuchu, Sengai, Sakai Hoitsu and others. Adults 1,800 yen. For details, see our article on the Idemitsu Museum of Arts 60th anniversary exhibition.

Venue: The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, Main Building (12-8 Uenokoen, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
Official website: https://museum.geidai.ac.jp/

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

• Dufy: Saturday, April 24 – Sunday, August 22, 2027. A retrospective marking the 150th anniversary of his birth, centered on works from the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. It also presents a one-tenth-scale painting (6 meters wide) that served as the original for the large mural “La Fée Électricité.”

• From Rembrandt to Monet and Van Gogh: The Hammer Museum: Saturday, September 11 – Sunday, December 12, 2027. About 70 works from the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. According to the museum, it will be the first opportunity in Japan to see the Hammer Museum’s collection presented as a coherent whole.

Venue: Exhibition Galleries, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
Official website: https://www.tobikan.jp/

The National Museum of Western Art

• Pictures within Pictures: Adventures of Paintings about Paintings, from the Renaissance to the Present and Beyond: Saturday, September 18, 2027 – Sunday, January 16, 2028. On the theme of paintings depicted within paintings, it presents works from the Renaissance to the present. Loans are planned from the co-organizing Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien as well as from the Musée d’Orsay, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and others.

Venue: Special Exhibition Galleries, The National Museum of Western Art (7-7 Uenokoen, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
Official website: https://www.nmwa.go.jp/

Exhibitions around the Imperial Palace, in Marunouchi and in Roppongi

The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan

• Special exhibition “National Treasure ‘Colorful Realm of Living Beings’: A World of Color”: Thursday, February 4 – Sunday, March 14, 2027. All 30 scrolls of Ito Jakuchu’s “Colorful Realm of Living Beings” will be shown together. According to the museum, it will be the first simultaneous display in Japan in about 10 years. Adults 3,000 yen.

• Special exhibition “1,300 Years of the Beauty of Japanese Calligraphy”: Thursday, March 25 – Sunday, May 16, 2027. Starting with Wang Xizhi’s “Sangluan Tie,” it traces Japanese calligraphy through imperial calligraphy, sutra copies and the ink traces of Zen monks. Adults 2,500 yen.

Both use timed-entry tickets, and no same-day tickets are sold at the venue. “Treasures of the Imperial Household: Where Beauty Arises,” which began on November 3, 2026, runs until January 24, 2027. For details, see our article on the full opening.

Venue: The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan (East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, 1-8 Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Official website: https://shozokan.nich.go.jp/

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

• Bold and Novel! Gyoshu Hayami: Friday, March 19 – Sunday, May 9, 2027. Gathering about 100 of Gyoshu’s works from across Japan, it reexamines them alongside materials entrusted to the museum, such as his diaries and letters.

• Akira Yamaguchi: Mi / Se / Mono: Friday, June 18 – Sunday, August 29, 2027.

• Milton Avery (provisional title): Saturday, October 9, 2027 – Sunday, January 30, 2028.

The contents of the Akira Yamaguchi and Avery exhibitions have not been announced. For details, see our article on the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo in 2027.

Venue: 1F Special Exhibition Gallery, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (3-1 Kitanomaru Koen, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Official website: https://www.momat.go.jp/

Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum

• Montmartre: Lautrec, Suzanne Valadon and the Unknown Painters of Paris (provisional title): Friday, February 19 – Sunday, May 23, 2027. Details have not been announced.

Venue: Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum (Marunouchi, Tokyo)
Official website: https://mimt.jp/

The National Art Center, Tokyo

• Diva: Wednesday, March 24 – Monday, July 19 (public holiday), 2027. Organized by the V&A, it introduces about 100 divas through about 60 costumes they actually wore, among other items.

• The National Art Center, Tokyo 20th Anniversary Exhibition (provisional title): Wednesday, April 21 – Monday, July 26, 2027. It looks back on the endeavors of artists presented in the 113 exhibitions held since the center opened, using six interrogatives as keywords.

• The Princely Collections of Liechtenstein: Antiquity in Western Art: Wednesday, September 8 – Monday, December 6, 2027.

• Gilbert & George: Friday, September 17 – Monday, December 20, 2027. According to the organizers, it will be their first large-scale solo exhibition in Japan in 30 years.

Prices for all four exhibitions have not been announced. For details, see our article on the National Art Center, Tokyo in 2027.

Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo (7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Official website: https://www.nact.jp

Mori Art Museum and Mori Arts Center Gallery

• KINGDOM HEARTS 25th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION (Mori Arts Center Gallery): Friday, February 5 – Sunday, April 4, 2027. Admission is by timed-entry ticket, in three types: tickets with merchandise (made to order, on sale until December 2, 2026), advance tickets (from December 3) and same-day tickets.

• The World Is Made of Play: Art, Children and Society (Mori Art Museum): Thursday, April 29 (public holiday) – Thursday, September 23 (public holiday), 2027. It reexamines “play” through participatory works, immersive installations and works from the 1950s onward. Planned artists include Monster Chetwynd, Aki Kondo, Yuriko Sasaoka and Do Ho Suh. The Mori Art Museum closes from the day after the exhibition ends. For details, see our article on the Mori Art Museum’s closure.

Venue: Roppongi Hills Mori Tower (Mori Art Museum on the 53rd floor, Mori Arts Center Gallery on the 52nd floor)
Official websites: https://www.mori.art.museum/jp/, https://macg.roppongihills.com/

Exhibitions in Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka and Atami

Kyoto National Museum

• Kyoto National Museum 130th Anniversary Special Exhibition: The Great Kano School: Part 1 (Muromachi to Momoyama), Tuesday, April 20 – Sunday, May 30, 2027; Part 2 (Edo to Meiji), Tuesday, June 8 – Monday, July 19 (public holiday), 2027. The museum calls it “the first major retrospective in half a century,” and all works change between Parts 1 and 2. Kano Eitoku’s National Treasure “Scenes In and Around Kyoto” screens (Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum, Yamagata) are among the works introduced.

• Kyoto National Museum 130th Anniversary Special Exhibition: 800 Years of the Satsuma Shimazu Family: Friday, October 8 – Sunday, December 5, 2027. Marking 800 years since the death of Shimazu Tadahisa, it presents items handed down in the family. The museum bills it as “the first large-scale exhibition on Honshu.”

Venue: Heisei Chishinkan Wing, Kyoto National Museum
Official website: https://www.kyohaku.go.jp/

Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art

• Yumiko Fujino (The Triangle): January 15 – April 18, 2027. An exhibition by an artist who explores expanding painting into three-dimensional space based on the materials and techniques of Nihonga. Free admission.

• Raphaël Zarka: Geometry, Time, Skateboarding (Higashiyama Cube, new wing): Saturday, February 6 – Wednesday, May 5 (public holiday), 2027. According to the museum, it will be the first full-scale solo exhibition in Japan of this Paris-based French artist.

• Gilbert & George (Higashiyama Cube, new wing): Wednesday, May 26 – Sunday, August 29, 2027. It will also be held at the National Art Center, Tokyo in the autumn.

• Okoku Konoshima: 150th Anniversary of His Birth (South Gallery 1F, main building): Saturday, October 2 – Sunday, December 12, 2027. With about 100 works, including some shown for the first time, it will be his largest retrospective ever, according to the museum. Works such as “Cold Moon” and “Spring at a Post Station” will be on display.

Venue: Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art (124 Okazaki Enshoji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto)
Official website: https://kyotocity-kyocera.museum/

Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

• 100 Years of Women Who Create (5F galleries): Saturday, January 9 – Monday, March 22 (substitute holiday), 2027. It traces the paths of about 50 women artists from the Taisho era to the Reiwa era in 10 chapters, featuring Shoen Uemura, Ayako Miyawaki, Tsuruko Yamazaki, Toeko Tatsuno and others. Adults 1,900 yen. For details, see our article on 100 Years of Women Who Create.

• Osaka Directory 15 Supported by RICHARD MILLE (2F multipurpose space): January 23 – February 21, 2027. A series exhibition introducing Mayuko Inui. Free admission.

Venue: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka
Official website: https://nakka-art.jp/

Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts

• Maruyama Okyo: Beyond the Real – A Spatial Revolution: February 6 – April 4, 2027. A touring exhibition from the Edo-Tokyo Museum (November 28, 2026 – January 24, 2027). For details, see our article on the Maruyama Okyo exhibition.

• Special exhibition commemorating the 160th anniversary of his birth, “The Muto Sanji Collection Revived: The Spinning King Who Discovered National Treasures”: Saturday, April 24 – Sunday, June 20, 2027. It presents works formerly owned by Sanji Muto (1867–1934), the businessman and collector who built up Kanegafuchi Spinning, including Yosa Buson’s National Treasure “Night View of Houses.”

• Cincinnati Art Museum Exhibition: European Treasures That Crossed to America: Saturday, July 17 – Sunday, September 26, 2027. 84 works, including Van Gogh’s “Undergrowth with Two Figures” and Modigliani’s “Max Jacob.” An exhibition of the same name is on view at the Ueno Royal Museum until January 10, 2027 (our article on the Ueno exhibition).

Venue: Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts (1-82 Chausuyama-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka, in Tennoji Park)
Official website: https://www.osaka-art-museum.jp/

Kyushu National Museum

• New Year special display “National Treasure: The Hatsune Wedding Trousseau, Tokugawa Art Museum Collection”: Friday, January 1 (public holiday) – Sunday, January 31, 2027. Shown in the Cultural Exchange Exhibition Gallery on the 4th floor.

• Feature exhibition “Warriors and Asia’s Great Age of Trade”: Tuesday, February 9 – Sunday, April 4, 2027.

• Special exhibition “Kobo Daishi Kukai: Treasures of Mount Koya and the Spread of Faith”: Saturday, April 24 – Sunday, June 20, 2027. Held in the Special Exhibition Gallery on the 3rd floor.

Venue: Kyushu National Museum
Official website: https://www.kyuhaku.jp/

MOA Museum of Art (Atami)

• Renewal 10th Anniversary Masterpieces Exhibition: National Treasure “Red and White Plum Blossoms” Screens: Saturday, January 9 – Wednesday, February 24, 2027. It marks 10 years since the renovation supervised by Hiroshi Sugimoto and Tomoyuki Sakakida’s New Material Research Laboratory. Three National Treasures are shown: Ogata Korin’s “Red and White Plum Blossoms” screens, Nonomura Ninsei’s “Tea-Leaf Jar with Wisteria Design in Overglaze Enamels” and the calligraphy album “Kanbokujo.”

• Hokusai Red Fuji & Blue Wave: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: Friday, February 26 – Friday, April 2, 2027. All 46 prints of “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” will be shown together, and “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” and “Fine Wind, Clear Morning” will be projected as high-resolution digital images on a large screen.

Venue: MOA Museum of Art
Official website: https://www.moaart.or.jp/

*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

Calendar by opening period

Opening January–March

• January 1 – January 31: National Treasure Hatsune Wedding Trousseau (Kyushu National Museum)

• January 8 – April 4: Final Fantasy 40th Anniversary Exhibition (Tokyo National Museum, Hyokeikan)

• January 9 – February 24: National Treasure “Red and White Plum Blossoms” Screens (MOA Museum of Art)

• January 9 – March 22: 100 Years of Women Who Create (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)

• January 15 – April 18: Yumiko Fujino (Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art)

• January 19 – March 14: The Tale of Genji: The Radiance of the Court (Tokyo National Museum)

• January 23 – February 21: Osaka Directory 15 (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)

• February 4 – March 14: National Treasure “Colorful Realm of Living Beings”: A World of Color (Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan)

• February 5 – April 4: KINGDOM HEARTS 25th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION (Mori Arts Center Gallery)

• February 6 – April 4: Maruyama Okyo: Beyond the Real – A Spatial Revolution (Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts)

• February 6 – May 5: Raphaël Zarka (Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art)

• February 9 – April 4: Warriors and Asia’s Great Age of Trade (Kyushu National Museum)

• February 19 – May 23: Montmartre (provisional title) (Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum)

• February 26 – April 2: Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (MOA Museum of Art)

• March 19 – May 9: Bold and Novel! Gyoshu Hayami (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)

• March 24 – July 19: Diva (The National Art Center, Tokyo)

• March 25 – May 16: 1,300 Years of the Beauty of Japanese Calligraphy (Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan)

• March 27 – May 23: Gems of the Idemitsu Collection at Geidai (The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts)

Opening April–June

• April 20 – June 13: National Treasures: All About Miidera (Tokyo National Museum)

• April 20 – July 19: The Great Kano School (Kyoto National Museum; Part 2 from June 8)

• April 21 – July 26: 20th Anniversary Exhibition (The National Art Center, Tokyo)

• April 24 – June 20: The Muto Sanji Collection (Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts)

• April 24 – June 20: Kobo Daishi Kukai (Kyushu National Museum)

• April 24 – August 22: Dufy (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum)

• April 29 – September 23: The World Is Made of Play (Mori Art Museum)

• May 26 – August 29: Gilbert & George (Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art)

• June 18 – August 29: Akira Yamaguchi: Mi / Se / Mono (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)

Opening July–September

• July 17 – September 26: Cincinnati Art Museum Exhibition (Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts)

• September 8 – December 6: The Princely Collections of Liechtenstein (The National Art Center, Tokyo)

• September 11 – December 12: The Hammer Museum (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum)

• September 17 – December 20: Gilbert & George (The National Art Center, Tokyo)

• September 18 – January 16, 2028: Pictures within Pictures (The National Museum of Western Art)

Opening October–December

• October 2 – December 12: Okoku Konoshima: 150th Anniversary of His Birth (Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art)

• October 8 – December 5: 800 Years of the Satsuma Shimazu Family (Kyoto National Museum)

• October 9 – January 30, 2028: Milton Avery (provisional title) (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)

Frequently asked questions

Which exhibitions in 2027 feature works by Ito Jakuchu?

At the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan’s “National Treasure ‘Colorful Realm of Living Beings’: A World of Color” (February 4 – March 14), all 30 scrolls of “Colorful Realm of Living Beings” will be shown together. The Idemitsu Museum of Arts 60th anniversary exhibition at the University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts (March 27 – May 23) will also include the “Birds, Animals and Flowering Plants” screens, though the display period has not been announced.

Which exhibitions require reservations?

The special exhibitions at the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan use timed-entry tickets, and no same-day tickets are sold at the venue. The FF40 exhibition also uses date-specified tickets on all days. The KINGDOM HEARTS 25th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION also uses timed-entry tickets; tickets with merchandise are sold until December 2, and advance tickets from December 3.

When will the Mori Art Museum close?

According to Mori Building’s announcement, it will close from Friday, September 24, 2027 for repairs and renovation of the facility and equipment, and is scheduled to reopen in late April 2028. The exhibition before the closure is “The World Is Made of Play: Art, Children and Society” (April 29 – September 23).

Which exhibitions are free?

The Yumiko Fujino exhibition in The Triangle at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art (January 15 – April 18) and “Osaka Directory 15 Supported by RICHARD MILLE” at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka (January 23 – February 21) are free.

*Top image: Gilbert & George (left: Gilbert, right: George). Photo: Tom Oldham (from a press release by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on official announcements by each organizer and facility (as of October 19, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team