[Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture] First lineup of exhibitions and performances at Tokyo Metropolitan Cultural Facilities for 2026 announced!
Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture Press release: October 27, 2025 To Members of the Press The first lineup of exhibitions and performances at Tokyo Metropolitan Cultural Facilities for 2026 has been announced! Get a sneak peek at the highlights of 2026 The Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture is pleased to announce a sneak peek at the main lineup of exhibitions and performances scheduled to be held at Tokyo Metropolitan Cultural Facilities in fiscal year 2026. This is the first announcement of the “Exhibition and Performance Lineup.” By providing information to everyone earlier, we hope to increase interest in each project and strengthen our public relations activities. The second announcement will be made in late January. Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum celebrates its 100th anniversary! In 2026, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum will celebrate its 100th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, numerous commemorative exhibitions and related events will be held throughout the year. As Japan’s first public art museum, this historic museum has contributed to the development of art and culture through numerous exhibitions from before the war to the present day, making this a special year celebrating this milestone. A diverse lineup including the Eric Carle and Marimekko exhibitions In fiscal year 2026, Tokyo Metropolitan Cultural Facilities will be hosting a wide variety of events, including recommended exhibitions and performances from each facility, such as the Eric Carle Exhibition and the Marimekko Exhibition. There’s something for everyone, from children to adults, so be sure to check it out. *For details on the projects introduced in this release, please visit the Foundation’s website. https://www.rekibun.or.jp
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Special Exhibition “Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Centenary: A Profusion of Flowers in the British Museum’s Japanese Art Collection – Edo Paintings Across the Sea” (July 25 – October 18, 2026)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38211/917/38211-917-e9ff02f16b1da70255342d8ad1f15b46-1920×1016.jpg Okyo, Hokusai, Utamaro… A huge collection of masterpieces that have captivated the world! This exhibition presents a carefully selected selection of outstanding works from the British Museum’s collection of Japanese art, which comprises 40,000 pieces, with a focus on Edo-period folding screens, hanging scrolls, and picture scrolls, as well as prints by eight leading ukiyo-e artists, including Utamaro, Sharaku, Hokusai, and Hiroshige. Furthermore, by highlighting recent research findings and the background to the collection, the exhibition traces the museum’s role at the forefront of collecting, researching, and preserving Japanese art.
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo Eric Carle Exhibition: The Very Hungry Caterpillar (April 25 – July 26, 2026)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38211/917/38211-917-c6f3c5f745acb36c44c7255d9e15a75d-1280×1920.jpg A leading American picture book author Eric Carle Retrospective Featuring Numerous Masterpieces! To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Japanese edition of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” this exhibition will be held in collaboration with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts, USA. In addition to original illustrations from 27 picture books, the exhibition will feature approximately 180 pieces, including works from his time as a graphic designer, dummy books created during the initial conception stage of ideas, and materials used in collages. You can experience the vivid colors of the original artwork, the ingenuity of the designer’s bookbinding, and the gentle gaze towards children that has been put into the picture book.
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum Marimekko Exhibition (October 3, 2026 – December 20, 2026) From Finland─ The exciting world of Marimekko prints Marimekko is Finland’s leading design brand. Since its founding in 1951, the brand has produced over 3,500 print designs. With vibrant colors and bold patterns, its designs enrich our lives and have been widely supported across generations and borders. This exhibition will shed light on Marimekko’s creative aesthetic through a variety of materials, including precious vintage dresses and fabrics, and images of the production process.
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography Asian Contemporary Exhibition (September 30, 2026 – January 17, 2027)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38211/917/38211-917-053608348681e37ce5ba83bbce18ef62-1862×1202.jpg The second installment of the Contemporary Asian Photography series! Featuring emerging and mid-career artists from Japan and China In collaboration with Teng Qingyun, chief curator of Three Shadows Xiamen, this exhibition will introduce emerging and mid-career artists from both Japan and China, examining contemporary Japan and China from a variety of perspectives. Three Shadows is a world-renowned photography complex founded in Beijing in 2007 by internationally acclaimed photographers RongRong and inri. Following on from 2018, this exhibition, showcasing contemporary Asian photography, will focus on familiar themes such as economic disparity, natural disasters, and gender.
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Support for International Career Development for Emerging Musicians (February 25, 2027 and others)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38211/917/38211-917-55edfc8bbed7df89df117bad9d9dd92b-1793×1255.jpg Up-and-coming musicians, including Tokyo Music Competition
prizewinners Providing opportunities to take flight on the world stage! We’ve invited composer Ondrej Adamek and IRCAM engineers to provide masterclass opportunities for up-and-coming musicians, primarily prizewinners of the Tokyo Music Competition. Furthermore, by holding a concert featuring the winners of the Tokyo Music
Competition, Les Siècles’ principal viola player Carole Roth-Dauphin, and artists from the Les Volks Music Festival, we will create opportunities for international exchange and training for
up-and-coming musicians. Venue: Hama-Rikyu Asahi Hall (planned) Due to major renovations, the museum will be closed from May 7, 2026, through the end of fiscal year 1998 (planned). Various projects will continue at facilities in Tokyo even during the closures!
Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre “TMT Gear” Performing Arts and Music Project Performance (tentative title) (Scheduled for December 2026 and February 6-7, 2027)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/38211/917/38211-917-8add6085d60bdc568d417a790cccb14b-1422×1133.jpg Next artistic directors Toshiki Okada and Kazuki Yamada will serve as mentors. Project to support young creative talent! “TMT Gear” is a project mentored by Toshiki Okada, next artistic director (Performing Arts Division), Kazuki Yamada, next artistic director (Music Division), and our museum staff, with the aim of supporting the creative work of young artists and creators and promoting their work overseas. In 2024, two artists from the performing arts field and three artists from the music field will be selected through a public call for proposals, and their planned performances will be held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre. Venue: Theater East, Theater West, etc. For more details on our business lineup for fiscal year 2026 (Reiwa 8), please see the press release (PDF) below. *This information is current as of October 27, 2025. Business operations are subject to change. Contact Us Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, General Affairs Department, General Affairs Division, TEL: 03-6256-9070 Arts Council Tokyo, Planning Department, Public Relations Division, TEL: 03-6256-9967 / WEB: https://www.rekibun.or.jp *For inquiries about individual projects, please contact the person in charge at each facility listed in the press release. Press release attachments
