Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design

The Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, commonly known as TAD, is a public art museum in Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. It opened in 2017, replacing the former Museum of Modern Art, Toyama, which had operated from 1981 to 2016. The institution distinguishes itself through its deliberate integration of fine art and design, housing 20th- and 21st-century works alongside functional objects such as posters and furniture. Its collection bridges Western modernism and Japanese artistic traditions, making it a significant regional venue for understanding the intersection of art and everyday design in Japan.

The museum succeeded the Museum of Modern Art, Toyama upon the older institution's closure in 2016. It opened in two stages: a partial opening on 25 March 2017, followed by the full opening on 26 August 2017. This transition marked a deliberate shift in institutional identity, expanding the mandate beyond conventional fine art to explicitly incorporate design as a core collecting and exhibition focus. The new museum inherited the previous institution's holdings but recontextualized them within this broader art-and-design framework.

The collection spans painting and sculpture from the twentieth century to the present, alongside design objects including posters and chairs. This dual emphasis reflects the museum's stated mission to present art and design as interconnected fields rather than separate categories. The holdings incorporate both Western and Japanese artists, with particular attention to modernist movements and postwar developments. The museum also maintains dedicated rooms for two significant bequests: the personal collection of Shuzo Takiguchi, the Japanese surrealist art critic, and objects belonging to the violinist Szymon Goldberg, who resided in Toyama.

Among the Western modernists represented, the collection includes works by Pablo Picasso tri1, Joan Miró, and Francis Bacon. Japanese artists include Munakata Shikō. The design holdings feature posters and chairs, with a specific example being the Miss Blanche chair by Shiro Kuramata. The Takiguchi collection and Goldberg objects provide additional depth in the areas of surrealism and musical culture respectively.

The museum building was designed by Japanese architect Hiroshi Naitō. It is situated adjacent to Fugan Canal Kansui Park, with the rooftop terrace offering views across the park toward the Tateyama mountain range. This rooftop space, named the Onomatopoeia Rooftop, features playful installations based on Japanese onomatopoeic words, such as fuwa-fuwa (fluffy, soft), designed by graphic designer Taku Satoh.

The museum is located in Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, within Fugan Canal Kansui Park. It stands approximately one kilometer north of Toyama Station. Opening hours are from 9:30 to 18:00. The museum closes on Wednesdays, except when Wednesday falls on a public holiday, in which case the following day is closed instead; it also closes during the New Year period. The institution is publicly owned and operates as the prefectural museum of art and design for Toyama Prefecture. Official information is available through its website at tad-toyama.jp.