“The Louvre Museum Exhibition: Renaissance” at The National Art Center, Tokyo Until December 13, with “La Belle Ferronnière” in Japan for the First Time

“The Louvre Museum Exhibition: Renaissance” is under way at The National Art Center, Tokyo (Roppongi, Tokyo). It runs from Wednesday, September 9 to Sunday, December 13, 2026, organized by the center, the Musée du Louvre and others. Through just over 50 works selected from the Louvre’s collection, it traces the characteristics of Renaissance art, which flourished across Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Portrait of a Woman” (known as “La Belle Ferronnière”) is being shown in Japan for the first time.

Highlights of “The Louvre Museum Exhibition: Renaissance”

The exhibition is structured around four themes derived from Leonardo, the figure who symbolizes the Renaissance. In addition to paintings, works on display include prints, silverpoint drawings, marble sculptures and enamel-painted dishes.

“Portrait of a Woman” is thought to have been painted in the latter half of Leonardo’s Milan years, 1482–1499. Rather than the profile view then dominant in Milan, it uses the three-quarter view developed by painters in Northern Europe.

A scientific study in 2014–2015 revealed that the contours were revised during painting to strengthen the movement of the head and body turning in opposite directions. The position of the pupil of the right eye was also slightly shifted, which is thought to have had the effect of making the gaze ambiguous.

The center describes the nickname as “an alternative title given by mistake.” It is said to have originated in the late 18th century, when the work was confused with another profile portrait. As for the sitter, one theory holds that she is Lucrezia Crivelli, mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. Many researchers support this theory, but there is no conclusive evidence.

According to the organizers’ press release (September 4, 2025), there are about 15 paintings considered to be by Leonardo’s own hand, five of which are in the Louvre’s collection. This is the first Louvre exhibition in three years, following “The Louvre Museum Exhibition: Depicting Love” in 2023 (which drew about 730,000 visitors), and The National Art Center, Tokyo is its only venue.

Main works and four themes

The four themes are “Travel,” “Innovation and Refinement of Technique,” “A Gaze Toward Antiquity” and “The Rise of Portraiture.” According to the center’s commentary, the Renaissance was an age when people discovered unknown worlds through travel and reappraised the culture of ancient Greece and Rome as a model. The concept of the “individual” shaped by humanists led to the development of portraiture.

The main works listed on the official website are as follows (all in the collection of the Musée du Louvre).

• Leonardo da Vinci, “Portrait of a Woman” (known as “La Belle Ferronnière”), c. 1490–1497, oil on panel

• Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), “Portrait of Francis I,” c. 1538, oil on canvas

• Albrecht Dürer, “Rhinoceros,” first edition 1515, woodcut

• Marcantonio Raimondi, “The Judgment of Paris” (after Raphael), c. 1513–1518

• Attributed to Baccio Bandinelli, “Portrait of Michelangelo,” c. 1522, oil on panel

• Sandro Botticelli, “Virgin and Child with Five Angels,” c. 1470, tempera on panel

• Lucas Cranach the Elder, “The Three Graces,” 1531, oil on panel

• Gian Cristoforo Romano, “Beatrice d’Este,” c. 1490–1491, marble

Also on display are a portrait by El Greco and the marble “Equestrian Statue of Charles IX” from the workshop of Germain Pilon, among others. As for El Greco, the “Annunciation” in the collection of the Ohara Museum of Art in Kurashiki, Okayama, has completed restoration and is on view until March 28, 2027 (see our article on El Greco’s “Annunciation”).

Tickets, prices and how to avoid crowds

Advance ticket sales have ended, and same-day tickets (adults 2,400 yen, university students 1,400 yen, high school students 1,000 yen) are on sale. They can be bought online through asoview!, Nittele Zero Chike and Lawson Ticket, or at the center’s ticket counter. Junior high school students and younger, holders of a disability certificate plus one companion, and holders of free tickets are admitted free.

The end of the exhibition requires attention. Same-day tickets are sold until Sunday, December 6, and from December 7 advance and same-day tickets cannot be used for entry. From Monday, December 7 to Sunday, December 13, a timed ticket at the same price as a same-day ticket is required; these have been on sale online since 12:00 on Saturday, October 31. Those eligible for free admission do not need to buy one, but guardians accompanying children of junior high school age or younger do.

Opening hours are 10:00 to 18:00, and until 20:00 every Friday and Saturday and from December 7 to 12 (last entry 30 minutes before closing). The center is closed on Tuesdays, but open on Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday) and Tuesday, December 8, and closed on Wednesday, November 4.

Students of Campus Members schools pay 1,200 yen, and faculty and staff 2,200 yen. Showing a ticket for another exhibition or open-call exhibition currently on at the center at its ticket counter gives 100 yen off. Tickets (stubs accepted) for exhibitions currently on at the Suntory Museum of Art and the Mori Art Museum (part of the Atoro-wari discount) also qualify. At the center, “Shojo Manga Infinity: Moto Hagio × Ryoko Yamagishi × Waki Yamato” opened on Wednesday, October 28.

Editor’s perspective

The commentary on “La Belle Ferronnière” also touches on the revised contours and pupil position revealed by scientific study. Beyond the debate over whom it depicts, this offers a way to approach the work from the perspective of how it was painted.

In Ueno, the Tate Turner exhibition opened on October 24, one of a series of exhibitions of collections from overseas museums this autumn and winter. The overall picture is summarized in our guide to autumn and winter exhibitions in Tokyo.

Overview

Name: The Louvre Museum Exhibition: Renaissance
Dates: Wednesday, September 9 – Sunday, December 13, 2026
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 every Friday and Saturday and from December 7 to 12; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Tuesdays (open on Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday) and Tuesday, December 8; closed on Wednesday, November 4)
Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo, Special Exhibition Gallery 1E
Address: 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Access: Exit 6 of Nogizaka Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line (directly connected to the center); about a 4–5-minute walk from Roppongi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and Toei Oedo Line
Admission: Same-day tickets: adults 2,400 yen, university students 1,400 yen, high school students 1,000 yen (on sale until Sunday, December 6). From Monday, December 7 to Sunday, December 13, a timed ticket (same price as a same-day ticket) is required. Free for junior high school students and younger and others
Organizers: The National Art Center, Tokyo; Musée du Louvre; Nippon Television Network; The Yomiuri Shimbun; BS Nippon TV
Inquiries: 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial)
Official website: https://www.nact.jp/exhibition_special/2026/louvre2026/
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Leonardo da Vinci, “Portrait of a Woman” (known as “La Belle Ferronnière”), collection of the Musée du Louvre (public domain, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on materials released by the organizers, including The National Art Center, Tokyo (September 4, 2025), and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team