Our Renoir: The Eternal Smile That Captured Japan

About this event

This exhibition traces how Renoir, once an artist of a distant foreign land, came to be received in Japan and became a familiar painter. Bringing together Renoir works held by Japanese art museums, it presents them alongside contemporary Impressionist masters and Japanese artists who were influenced by his work. Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a leading 19th-century French Impressionist painter. His bright, happiness-filled works have long been cherished in Japan. Why has Renoir been so beloved by the Japanese people? One reason may lie in the development of an environment across Japan where visitors could directly view many of his works in nationwide museums. Through Renoir works brought to Japan during the Meiji and Taisho periods, as well as works by Japanese Western-style painters strongly influenced by his art, this exhibition traces the impact Renoir had on modern Japanese art. Furthermore, it gathers valuable Renoir works collected nationwide mainly during the Showa and Heisei eras by museums and corporations, presenting the history of his reception in Japan. Discover how Renoir transformed from a 'distant French painter' into 'our Renoir' through this story of encounters between Renoir and the Japanese people.

Venue

Oita Prefectural Art Museum OPAM

2-1 Kotobukicho, Oita, Oita 870-0036