Best Exhibitions Starting in August 2026
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Tokyo Art Beat presents a selection of the best exhibitions opening in August 2026. Save the exhibitions on the TAB website or TAB app and don't miss the openings and closings.
- ◎Tokyo
- 【Tokyo】 Lee Ufan: “Work on Paper / Sculpture” (SCAI The Bathhouse)
- 【Tokyo】 La Bella Simonetta Depicted in the Literary Works of Italy and Japan, Commemorating the 160th Anniversary of the Signing of the Japan-Italy Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the 550th Anniversary of the Death of Simonetta (Marubeni Gallery)
- 【Tokyo】 Okumura Togyū －A Century of Devotion, Traced Through Masterpieces－ (Yamatane Museum of Art)
- 【Tokyo】 The Paper Log: Shell and Core — An Issey Miyake project in collaboration with Ensamble Studio (21_21 DESIGN SIGHT)
- 【Tokyo】 A Ceramic Travelogue: China, Japan, and the Korea Peninsula (Nezu Museum)
- 【Tokyo】 Textiles of Ryukyu Kingdom (Japan Folk Crafts Museum)
- 【Tokyo】 Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani: Ambient Kyoto — Tokyo (Azabudai Hills Gallery)
- 【Tokyo】 Tada Minami―Still, shimmering light (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)
- 【Tokyo】 Shunsui Sumitomo 100 Years On— Fortunate Encounters with the Sumitomo Modern Art Collection (Sen-Oku Hakukokan Museum Tokyo)
- ◎Japan
- 【Akita】 Naoko Machida "Cats at Every Turn" (Akita Museum of Modern Art)
- 【Kanagawa】 Marie Antoinette Style (Yokohama Museum of Art)
- 【Kanagawa】 The 50th Anniversary Osamu Goods Exhibition (Sogo Museum of Art)
- 【Ishikawa】 Exhibition:The Art of Nipponʼs Beautiful Paper Haibara Art & Design (Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art)
- 【Nagano】 Yoshitoshi— A Genius Ukiyo-e Master in a Turbulent Time (Mizuno Museum of Art)
- 【Nagano】 Asama International Photo Festival 2026 Photo Miyota (MMoP｜Miyota Museum of Photography)
- 【Nagano】 Bird-and-Flower Prints from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Collection of the RISD Museum : Featuring Hokusai and Hiroshige (Hokusai Museum)
- 【Mie】 Albert Marquet Exhibition (Mie Prefectural Art Museum)
- 【Kyoto】 Rock Star★Koh Hasebe Photo Exhibition (Museum “EKi” Kyoto)
- 【Osaka】 Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring— Masterpieces of 17th-Century Dutch Art Back in Japan (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)
- 【Hyogo】 Bologna Children's Book Fair Bologna Illustrators Exhibition (Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City)
- 【Shimane】 Samurai–Seven Painters Who Dared the Innovation of Japanese Painting (Adachi Museum of Art)
- 【Okayama】 Circus! Welcome to the World of Dreams (Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art)
- 【Yamaguchi】 50th Anniversary - Little Mouse's Red Vest (Shunan City Museum of Art and History)
- 【Okinawa】 From Past to Future: Records and Pictures of the Historical Archives of the University of Tokyo and Ryukyu― (Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum)
◎Tokyo
【Tokyo】 Lee Ufan: “Work on Paper / Sculpture” (SCAI The Bathhouse)
Lee Ufan's first solo exhibition in four years brings together works on paper and sculptures created from the 1970s to the present. Spanning more than five decades of practice, the show offers a rare opportunity to explore the philosophical ideas that connect his two- and three-dimensional works.
Venue: SCAI The Bathhouse
Schedule: August 4 – October 10
【Tokyo】 La Bella Simonetta Depicted in the Literary Works of Italy and Japan, Commemorating the 160th Anniversary of the Signing of the Japan-Italy Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the 550th Anniversary of the Death of Simonetta (Marubeni Gallery)
Celebrating 160 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan and the 550th anniversary of Simonetta Vespucci’s death, this exhibition explores the image of the celebrated Renaissance beauty in art and literature, centered around Botticelli’s La Bella Simonetta in the Marubeni Gallery's collection. This exhibition examines how Simonetta’s beauty was interpreted, idealized, and reimagined across different periods and cultural contexts.
Venue: Marubeni Gallery
Schedule: August 6 – September 30
【Tokyo】 Okumura Togyū －A Century of Devotion, Traced Through Masterpieces－ (Yamatane Museum of Art)
This major exhibition celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Yamatane Museum of Art with the big exhibition of Okumura Togyu's art. From his early experiments to the quiet, refined works of his later years, the exhibition highlights the subtle colors, carefully observed forms, and patient working process that defined Togyu’s artistic journey.
Venue: Yamatane Museum of Art
Schedule: August 8 – October 4
【Tokyo】 The Paper Log: Shell and Core — An Issey Miyake project in collaboration with Ensamble Studio (21_21 DESIGN SIGHT)
This exhibition introduces a collaborative research project developed by Issey Miyake and the architecture practice Ensamble Studio. Taking paper as its starting point, the project investigates the ideas of “membrane” and “core” through material experiments, prototypes, and spatial installations. By revealing the process behind the collaboration, the exhibition considers how familiar materials can be transformed through design, engineering, architecture, and approaches closely connected to garment making.
Venue: 21_21 Design Sight
Schedule: August 13 – September 13
【Tokyo】 A Ceramic Travelogue: China, Japan, and the Korea Peninsula (Nezu Museum)
This exhibition presents outstanding ceramics from China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula, kept in Nezu Museum's collection. Take your time and compare differences in form, glaze, decoration, and techniques, while tracing the long history of cultural exchange across East Asia.
Venue: The Nezu Museum
Schedule: August 15 – October 12
【Tokyo】 Textiles of Ryukyu Kingdom (Japan Folk Crafts Museum)
Marking the 90th anniversary of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, this exhibition focuses on the rich textile culture of the Ryukyu Kingdom (modern Okinawa). The show highlights the technique and distinctive visual language of Ryuku's textile production while also examining its importance within the history of the Japanese folk craft movement.
Venue: Japan Folk-Craft Museum
Schedule: August 22 – November 3
【Tokyo】 Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani: Ambient Kyoto — Tokyo (Azabudai Hills Gallery)
This immersive exhibition brings the collaborative work by composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and artist Shiro Takatani to Tokyo for the first time. Another amazing opportunity to celebrate Sakamoto's philosophy and distinguished art style.
Venue: Azabudai Hills Gallery
Schedule: August 28 – October 25
【Tokyo】 Tada Minami―Still, shimmering light (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)
This major exhibition is devoted to Minami Tada, a pioneering Japanese creator known for integrating art within the architecture and public space. The show brings together sculptures and reliefs, reflecting how light, movement, and the surrounding environment become active elements of her work.
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Schedule: August 29 – December 6
【Tokyo】 Shunsui Sumitomo 100 Years On— Fortunate Encounters with the Sumitomo Modern Art Collection (Sen-Oku Hakukokan Museum Tokyo)
This exhibition commemorates the centenary of the death of Shunsui Sumitomo, the 15th head of the Sumitomo family and an influential collector and cultural patron of modern Japan. Featuring works from the Sumitomo collection, it introduces Japanese and Western-style paintings, tea utensils, and East Asian antiquities, reflecting on the wider role of private collecting in the Japanese modern art.
Venue: Sen-Oku Hakukokan Museum Tokyo
Schedule: August 29 – October 12
◎Japan
【Akita】 Naoko Machida "Cats at Every Turn" (Akita Museum of Modern Art)
The first major exhibition of Naoko Machida, a famous book illustrator, which offers a rare glimpse into her creative process. Whimsy, cuite and funny artworks reveal why her feline characters made a lot of fans in all ages.
Venue: Akita Museum of Modern Art
Schedule: August 8 – October 4
【Kanagawa】 Marie Antoinette Style (Yokohama Museum of Art)
A major exhibition featuring the Marie Antoinette's excessive influence on paintings, decorative arts, and fashion. It also examines the sophisticated artistic culture of Versailles and traces how Marie Antoinette’s aesthetic has continued to inspire fashion, design, film, and popular culture. Check out the “Women Artists Crossing the Sea” exhibition at the same museum, featuring the women influence on art.
Venue: Yokohama Museum of Art
Schedule: August 1 – November 23
【Kanagawa】 The 50th Anniversary Osamu Goods Exhibition (Sogo Museum of Art)
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beloved OSAMU GOODS brand, this large-scale exhibition brings attention to the illustrator Osamu Harada, whose playful characters became the cultural icon in Japan. The show traces the evolution of the brand from the debut in 1976 to its lasting influence on Japanese graphic design and lifestyle.
Venue: Sogo Museum of Art
Schedule: August 1 – August 31
【Ishikawa】 Exhibition:The Art of Nipponʼs Beautiful Paper Haibara Art & Design (Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art)
This exhibition celebrates the artistry of HAIBARA, the historic Tokyo paper merchant founded over 200 years ago. Featuring designs by iconic artists including Kawase Hasui, Takehisa Yumeji, and Kawanabe Kyosai, it showcases beautifully decorated stationery, woodblock prints, fans, envelopes, and other paper products that transformed everyday objects into works of art.
Venue: Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art
Schedule: August 8 – September 13
【Nagano】 Yoshitoshi— A Genius Ukiyo-e Master in a Turbulent Time (Mizuno Museum of Art)
Often regarded as the last great master of ukiyo-e, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi worked during Japan's dramatic transition from the Edo period to the modern era. This exhibition presents around one hundred prints, including warriors, ghost stories, and beautiful women, revealing the emotional intensity and technical brilliance that distinguished his work.
Venue: Mizuno Museum of Art
Schedule: August 1 – September 27
【Nagano】 Asama International Photo Festival 2026 Photo Miyota (MMoP｜Miyota Museum of Photography)
Set in dramatic landscape at the foot of Mount Asama, this photography festival transforms the town of Miyota into an open-air exhibition space. This year's theme is After the Image, encouraging us to focus on everything that happens after a photo has been taken.
Venue: MMoP｜Miyota Museum of Photography
Schedule: August 1 – September 27
【Nagano】 Bird-and-Flower Prints from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Collection of the RISD Museum : Featuring Hokusai and Hiroshige (Hokusai Museum)
Marking the museum's 50th anniversary, this exhibition presents masterpieces from the Rockefeller Collection held by the RISD Museum (Rhode Island School of Design Museum) in the United States. Featuring exquisite bird-and-flower prints by Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, and other leading ukiyo-e artists, the show explores how Japanese printmakers captured the beauty of the natural world through refined compositions and extraordinary woodblock techniques.
Venue: Hokusai Museum
Schedule: August 8 – October 12
【Mie】 Albert Marquet Exhibition (Mie Prefectural Art Museum)
This major retrospective introduces the works of French painter Albert Marquet (1875-1947). Bringing together around 100 paintings, drawings, and prints, the exhibition follows Marquet's travels from Paris and the Seine to the Mediterranean coast and North Africa.
Venue: Mie Prefectural Art Museum
Schedule: August 8 – September 13
【Kyoto】 Rock Star★Koh Hasebe Photo Exhibition (Museum “EKi” Kyoto)
For more than four decades, photographer Hiroshi Hasebe documented some of the world's biggest rock musicians, capturing both their electrifying performances and quieter moments behind the scenes. This exhibition features approximately 150 photographs of legendary artists including Queen, David Bowie, KISS, Aerosmith, and Bon Jovi, many taken during their visits to Japan.
Venue: Museum “Eki” Kyoto
Schedule: August 1 – August 31
【Osaka】 Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring— Masterpieces of 17th-Century Dutch Art Back in Japan (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)
One of the world's most celebrated paintings, Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, travels to Osaka for this highly anticipated exhibition. Alongside the masterpiece, visitors can explore the latest findings from conservation and scientific research, gaining fresh insight into Vermeer's painting techniques and creative process.
Venue: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka
Schedule: August 21 – September 27
【Hyogo】 Bologna Children's Book Fair Bologna Illustrators Exhibition (Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City)
Each year, the Bologna Children's Book Fair selects outstanding illustrators from around the world through one of the industry's most prestigious international competitions. This exhibition presents the original artworks of the 2026 winners, introducing visitors to a remarkable range of artistic styles, storytelling techniques, and emerging talents.
Venue: Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City
Schedule: August 22 – October 18
【Shimane】 Samurai–Seven Painters Who Dared the Innovation of Japanese Painting (Adachi Museum of Art)
Focusing on seven artists who transformed modern Japanese-style painting, this exhibition examines how Nihonga evolved during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Yokoyama Taikan, Takeuchi Seiho, and Hishida Shunso demonstrate how traditional Japanese techniques were reinterpreted in response to Western art while maintaining a distinct visual identity.
Venue: Adachi Museum of Art
Schedule: August 31 – November 30
【Okayama】 Circus! Welcome to the World of Dreams (Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art)
For generations, the circus has fascinated artists with its dazzling performances, colorful costumes, and dramatic atmosphere. Bringing together paintings, posters, photographs, prints, and film, this exhibition explores how the circus became a powerful artistic motif from the nineteenth century to nowadays.
Venue: Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art
Schedule: August 1 – September 23
【Yamaguchi】 50th Anniversary - Little Mouse's Red Vest (Shunan City Museum of Art and History)
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of Japan's most beloved picture book series, this exhibition brings attention to the world of The Little Mouse's Sweater, created by author Yoshio Nakae and illustrator Noriko Ueno. Original illustrations, preliminary sketches, manuscripts, and production materials reveal how the gentle stories came to life.
Venue: Shunan City Museum of Art and History
Schedule: August 7 – September 27
【Okinawa】 From Past to Future: Records and Pictures of the Historical Archives of the University of Tokyo and Ryukyu― (Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum)
Drawing on the extensive collections of the Historiographical Institute at the University of Tokyo, this exhibition presents rare historical documents, maps, illustrated records, and official manuscripts related to the Ryukyu Kingdom. Together, these materials illuminate Okinawa's political, cultural, and maritime connections with East Asia across several centuries.
Venue: Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum
Schedule: August 7 – September 23
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