“Marie Antoinette Style” at the Yokohama Museum of Art Until November 23; From the V&A, the Queen and Contemporary Fashion

“Marie Antoinette Style,” on view at the Yokohama Museum of Art (Nishi-ku, Yokohama), closes on Monday, November 23 (national holiday). The exhibition, organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, opened on Saturday, August 1, 2026. Through about 200 works, including some shown in Japan for the first time, it introduces the innovations of the 18th-century queen Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) in her dress, her living spaces and her public image, and the influence her “style” has had on later fashion, design and film.

A world-touring exhibition organized by the V&A, with Yokohama as the only venue in Japan

According to a press release from the Yokohama Museum of Art (March 17, 2026), the exhibition was organized by the V&A and was on view at the London museum until March 22. Yokohama is the first stop on its world tour and the only venue in Japan. The selection of works was reportedly reorganized from the London presentation for the tour in Asia.

The museum introduces her as “the most fashionable queen in history.” Of the works on display, a little more than 10 belonged to or are associated with the queen, and about 20 works held in Japanese collections are also included. In the list of works, items that belonged to or are associated with her are marked with an “MA” monogram. The exhibition is organized by the Yokohama Museum of Art, the V&A, The Yomiuri Shimbun and Nippon Television Network.

Three chapters: what works can be seen?

• Chapter 1, “Marie Antoinette: The Source of a Style, 1770–1793”: introduces the period when, as queen, she challenged court customs and spread new tastes in fashion, interiors and more

• Chapter 2, “Marie Antoinette: Remembrance and Idolization, 1800–1940”: shows how, after her death, later generations looked back on the queen’s style with nostalgia and turned her into an icon

• Chapter 3, “Forever New: Marie Antoinette Style”: introduces contemporary fashion, design, film and more inspired by the queen’s style

Chapter 1 includes François-Hubert Drouais’s “Marie Antoinette in Court Dress” (1773) and a robe à la française (French-style gown) made in the 1760s and altered in the 1770s. The so-called “Sutherland Diamonds,” made into a necklace in the 1780s, and Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené’s “Armchair for Marie Antoinette (one of a set of four)” (1788) are also lent by the V&A.

Items marked “MA” include the Sèvres porcelain manufactory’s “Breast Bowl” (1787, Musée national de céramique, Sèvres) and a Japanese-made “Incense Cabinet” (first half of the 18th century, V&A). Martin Carlin’s “Reading Stand” (c. 1780, V&A) has lacquer panels made in Japan. Japanese lacquerware held in Japanese collections is also on display, such as the Kyoto National Museum’s “Small Incense Container in the Shape of a Bottle Gourd, with Maki-e.” A guillotine blade used in the French Revolution (c. 1791–93, Madame Tussauds London Archive) is also part of this chapter.

Chapter 2 presents Pierre-Paul Amon’s “Empress Eugénie” (1850s, Tokyo Fuji Art Museum) and Jeanne Lanvin’s evening dress “Robe de Style” (c. 1922–23, V&A). George Barbier’s “Blind Man’s Buff” (from the fashion almanac “Falbalas et Fanfreluches,” 1924, published 1925) is also in this chapter.

The heart of Chapter 3 is film and fashion. On display is the dress by Milena Canonero that Kirsten Dunst wore in Sofia Coppola’s film “Marie Antoinette” (2006). Canonero won the award for Best Costume Design at the 79th Academy Awards. Shoes made by Manolo Blahnik for the film are also shown. In fashion, the exhibition introduces Vivienne Westwood’s wedding dress “Marie Antoinette” (2024), John Galliano’s evening coat (2006) featuring a portrait of the queen from the V&A collection, and Karl Lagerfeld’s pannier ensemble (2012, remade in 2025), among others.

Tickets, prices and opening hours, with some November days open until 20:00

Admission (tax included) is 2,500 yen for adults, 1,600 yen for university students and 1,000 yen for junior high and high school students; elementary school students and younger are free. Holders of a disability certificate or similar, plus one caregiver, are also admitted free. Tickets can be bought online, and detailed ticket information is available on the exhibition’s official website. On the day of the visit only, the exhibition ticket also gives entry to the Yokohama Museum of Art Collection exhibition.

Opening hours are 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. The museum is open until 20:00 on Monday, November 2, Saturday, November 7, Saturday, November 14, Friday, November 20, Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22. It is closed on Thursdays but open on November 19. Some works are shown only for limited periods, which can be checked in the list of works.

Access and notes for visitors

The Yokohama Museum of Art is at 3-4-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama. It is a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Minatomirai Station on the Minatomirai Line via MARK IS Minatomirai, and a 10-minute walk from Sakuragicho Station (JR and Yokohama Municipal Subway) using the moving walkway. The museum’s parking lot has 157 spaces and costs 500 yen for the first 90 minutes and 250 yen for every 30 minutes thereafter (closed on Thursdays).

According to the museum, photography is permitted for private use, but some works and spaces cannot be photographed, so visitors are asked to check nearby signs. Flash, tripods and video recording are not permitted. Large bags can be left in coin lockers (100 yen, returned after use) or at the information desk. The galleries are kept at around 21°C to protect the works, so bringing an extra layer is recommended.

Editor’s perspective

Items that belonged to or are associated with the queen herself make up only a little more than 10 of the roughly 200 works. What the exhibition shows is less the queen’s personal belongings than the “style” itself, passed down and reinterpreted across the centuries in everything from costumes, furniture and porcelain to film costumes. The Japanese-made incense cabinet and the reading stand with Japanese lacquer panels also show that Japanese crafts were woven into the decorative arts of the 18th-century French court.

The exhibition closes on November 23. Combine it with “Marimekko: The Power of Patterns” at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum (until December 20) to explore the design of dress and pattern. Western art exhibitions this autumn and winter are compiled in our guide to Western art exhibitions, and Tokyo exhibitions in general in our guide to autumn and winter exhibitions in Tokyo.

Overview

Name: Marie Antoinette Style
Dates: Saturday, August 1 – Monday, November 23, 2026 (national holiday)
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on November 2, 7, 14, 20, 21 and 22; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Thursdays (open on November 19)
Venue: Yokohama Museum of Art
Address: 3-4-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
Admission: Adults 2,500 yen, university students 1,600 yen, junior high and high school students 1,000 yen, free for elementary school students and younger (tax included)
Organizers: Yokohama Museum of Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nippon Television Network
Special sponsor: Canon
Inquiries: 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial)
Official website: https://yokohama.art.museum/exhibition/202608_marie2026/
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: from a press release by the “Marie Antoinette Style” press office

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on a press release from the Yokohama Museum of Art (March 17, 2026) and information on its official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team