The Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art 広島県立美術館
Original collections of modern art in Hiroshima
In the heart of Hiroshima, the prefectural museum of art offers fine collections, including works by renowned European artists. Do not miss the beautiful temporary exhibitions that are regularly organized there.
A museum
The Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art ( Hiroshima Kenritsu Bijutsukan ) opened its doors for the very first time in September 1968. It was completely renovated in 1996 to take on its current modern appearance, more open and giving pride of place to the Shukkei-en gardens very close .
The latter are famous with the inhabitants of Hiroshima : they were indeed a few tens of meters from the point of impact of the atomic bomb in 1945. You can admire the vegetation of the garden , as well as the cherry blossoms during the hanami , from the main hall of the museum . Note that there is a combined park-museum ticket for 600 yen (around €4.80).
- See also: Parks and gardens in Hiroshima
If this museum is less known than the Hiroshima Art Museum or the Museum of Contemporary Art , it nevertheless presents very beautiful collections in airy and modern rooms. It is particularly renowned for its temporary exhibitions , with vast and original themes.
On nearly 20,000 square meters and 4 floors, its permanent collections house more than 4,500 works which are exhibited according to a thematic four-year rotation. This collection is divided into four main parts :
- Traditional Japanese painting: nihonga
- Asian traditional art objects
- 1920s art
- 1930s art
Great works from the permanent collections
The collection of Japanese paintings notably includes works by artists from the Hiroshima prefecture . In the rooms of the museum, you can admire works by Ikuo Hirayama (1930-2009), Okuda Genso (1912-2003) and Kibo Kodama (1898-1971).
Hirayama in particular is a famous painter in Japan. He was indeed present in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and is thus a hibakusha , an A-bomb survivor . He is famous for his representations of the Silk Road, of Buddhism but also of the dramatic consequences of the atomic bombardment.
Two beautiful pieces of Japanese art also make the place famous: large painted screens representing the shrines of Miyajima and Itsukushima.
- To read: The Peace Museum in Hiroshima
Museum room with "The Dream of Venus" by Dali
HPAM
The rooms of Asian works of art
HPAM
The rooms presenting works from the 1920s and 1930s also hide some beautiful secrets. Big names in European art are represented there , especially the Dadaists and the Surrealists : Marcel Duchamp , Jean Arp, Alexander Calder, Henri Moore, René Magritte , Giorgio de Chirico, Max Ernst and Salvador Dali . One of these paintings has also become the masterpiece of the museum's collection: it is the " Dream of Venus ", a large painting from 1939, from the same series as "The persistence of memory" ( the famous "Soft Watches").
In addition, new works are constantly acquired and therefore put forward according to the rotation.
Temporary exhibitions
Six times a year , the prefectural art museum organizes a temporary exhibition . The latter require the acquisition of a specific ticket, generally sold at a higher price (around 1,400 yen).
Sometimes surprisingly specific themes, featuring big European names , or exhibitions on more modern subjects such as Japanese pop culture are sometimes treated.
For example, in 2018 the museum presented an exhibition on the Brueghel family , but also on Studio Ghibli and their 30 years of existence. The same year, another exhibition focused on the representation of the figure of the Parisian woman from the 18th to the 20th century . A sharp and detailed thematic selection, for quality exhibitions.
One of the temporary exhibition halls
HPAM
Address, timetable & access
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Address
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Phone
+82 (0)221-6246 -
Timetable
Hiroshima Subway Line 9 Shukkeien-Mae Station -
Price
Adult: 510 yen (4€) High school student and student: 310 yen (2€50) Child: free -
Access
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. -
Website
http://www.hpam.jp/english/
