Ohara Museum of Art, Art museum in Bikan Historical Quarter of Kurashiki, Japan.
The Ohara Museum of Art is an art museum in the Bikan Historical Quarter of Kurashiki. The classical building houses paintings, sculptures and graphic works from Europe and Japan across several galleries.
Magosaburō Ōhara founded the institution in 1930 after his friend Torajirō Kojima traveled through Europe and acquired works for the collection. It was the first Japanese museum dedicated to Western art and opened long before other institutions took this step.
The name comes from Magosaburō Ōhara, a textile entrepreneur from Kurashiki who commissioned this collection. Visitors today see works by Western masters alongside Japanese art, which was uncommon at the time and shows how committed Ōhara was to artistic exchange between Japan and Europe.
The entrance is located in the Bikan Historical Quarter, which visitors can easily walk through. The galleries are on ground level or reached by stairs, so guests with limited mobility should consider this.
Architect Kazue Yakushiji designed the classical facade, which stands in contrast to the surrounding traditional warehouses. This choice was intentional, making the Western origin of the collection visible from the outside.
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