Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art

The Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art is a public art museum located in Okazaki Park in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Originally opened in 1933 as the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, it is one of the oldest art museums in Japan and the second public art museum to open in the country after the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. The institution underwent a major renewal in 2020, at which point the Japanese multinational ceramics and electronics manufacturer Kyocera acquired naming rights and the museum received its current name. The museum is owned by the Government of Kyoto City and maintains a significant collection focused on modern Japanese art, particularly works in the Japanese-style painting tradition of the Kyoto School.

The museum's origins trace to 1928, when it was initially planned as the Shōwa Imperial Coronation Art Museum of Kyoto to commemorate Emperor Hirohito's coronation. Construction was completed in 1933 under the planning of architect Kenjirō Maeda, and the museum opened to the public that same year. For over eight decades it operated under the name Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, serving as a principal venue for contemporary art exhibitions in western Japan. In 2020, the museum closed for a three-year renovation project led by architect Jun Aoki, who served as director and designed the renewal plan. Upon reopening on March 21, 2020, the facility was renamed the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art following Kyocera's acquisition of naming rights. The renovation garnered multiple awards for architecture and design, and the building served as a filming location for a popular film.

The museum's collection comprises more than two thousand works, with particular strength in Japanese painting from the early twentieth century. The holdings include paintings, sculptures, crafts, wood panel paintings, prints, and works by more recent artists. The collection is distinguished by its concentration of paintings in the Japanese style associated with the Kyoto School. While the museum was designed primarily to host temporary exhibitions, it has built a substantial permanent collection through acquisition. The works span from the late nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century, reflecting the development of modern Japanese painting and its particular evolution in the Kyoto region.

The museum holds an extensive collection of works by Takeuchi Seihō, a leading figure of modern Japanese painting and the Kyoto School. This group includes early works such as Fuyō from 1882 and Nenchū gyōji from 1886, as well as multiple paintings from 1887 including Chitō nami sei, Unryū, and Yūri. Notable later works include the portrait Uno rōjin-zō from 1895, Keizan akidzuki from 1899, and Sange and Kuma, both from 1910. The collection continues with Ame from 1911, E ni naru saisho and Kingyo no ku from 1913, and Shio isago eijitsu from 1922. Works from the 1920s and 1930s include Suikyō and Uma ni noru kitsune from 1924, U na hen from 1926, Raikō from 1930, and Matsumura, Fū Takeno, and Fūchiku from 1934. Later significant holdings include Shūu ikka and Seikan from 1935, Yūfū from 1940, and the Shikishi jū ni-kagetsu series produced between 1926 and 1941. Additional works include Hachikudokusui and Tōgan ni nezumi.

The museum building was planned by architect Kenjirō Maeda and completed in 1933. The structure has a total floor space of 9,349 square meters. The building is situated at 〒606-8344, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, Sakyō-ku, Okazaki Enshōji-chō 124. The 2020 renovation preserved the historic character of the original structure while modernizing its facilities. The renovation's architectural and design achievements received multiple awards. The museum occupies a prominent position within Okazaki Park, a cultural district in northeastern Kyoto that clusters several major cultural institutions.

The museum is located in Okazaki Park in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto, and is accessible via the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tōzai Line to Higashiyama Station. Kyoto City Bus routes also serve the area: the Okazaki Kōen / Bijutsukan, Heian Jingū-mae stop is served by routes 5, 46, 100, 110, and the Kyoto Okazaki Loop; the Okazaki Kōen / ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Miyakomesse-mae stop is served by route 32. The museum is surrounded by other significant cultural sites including the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, the Kyoto Municipal Zoo, Heian Shrine, ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Miyakomesse, the Kyoto Prefectural Library, and Chion-in temple. The museum is owned by the Government of Kyoto City and continues to function as a public institution dedicated to the exhibition and preservation of modern and contemporary art.