The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo originally opened in 1995 after taking over a collection of 3,000 works from the Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum, which itself opened in 1926, and in 2019 had a renewal opening with a renewed collection of approximately 5,500 works.
The museum holds six to eight special exhibitions of contemporary art per year, and the MOT Collection of works from the museum's collection is divided into four periods per year, with each period showcasing a different aspect of the museum's collection and conveying the diverse appeal of contemporary art. Special exhibitions include large-scale international exhibitions, such as painting, sculpture, fashion, architecture, and design, as well as exhibitions of other genres, so it is possible and popular to see several different exhibitions at the same time, making it easy to discover new works of interest.
The building itself is one of the highlights of the museum as well, with a 140-meter deep entrance with glass walls on the south side, allowing visitors to see the greenery of the adjacent Kiba Park. The trees create a different light and scenery for each season, adding to the enjoyment of visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. There are also huge sculptures and works by Yoko Ono on display outdoors.
Pamphlets explaining the museum are available in Japanese, English, Korean, and simplified and traditional Chinese, and the website, signs inside the museum, exhibition flyers, posters, exhibition descriptions, and captions are also in English.
Highlights
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The museum opened in 1995, taking over a collection of 3,000 pieces from the Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum.
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After the renewal opening, the current collection consists of approximately 5,500 works.
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The MOT Collection exhibition of works from the museum's collection is held in four periods each year.
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Six to eight special exhibitions of various genres are held each year.
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The entrance offers a panoramic view of Kiba Park.
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A giant sculpture and Yoko Ono's works are also displayed outdoors.