Set amidst lush grounds beside a lake, the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art in Sakura, Chiba, is one of the most underrated art institutions in the Greater Tokyo region. It’s revered among art enthusiasts for its fine selection of 20th-century Western art, including works by masters such as Pablo Picasso, Cy Twombly, Roy Lichtenstein and Joan Miró, to name just a few.
Perhaps the most precious treasure of all is its collection of seven paintings from the renowned colour field artist Mark Rothko’s ‘Seagram Mural’ series. These large-scale paintings, noted for their sombre and introspective palette, are widely regarded as some of his greatest works.
When the museum announced that it was closing permanently at the end of March, the local art community was concerned about the future of the Seagram murals, which were displayed in a dedicated room specifically designed to enhance the emotional impact of the paintings. It was one of the very few Rothko Rooms in the world, the most famous of which can be found at the Tate Modern in London.
The good news is that the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art will not disappear. Instead, it’ll relocate to a new home at the International House of Japan in Roppongi, right in the heart of Tokyo. The museum’s seven Seagram murals will not only be moving with it, but they will once again be displayed in their own room – this one designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architectural firm SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates).
The International House of Japan’s existing main building is registered as a masterpiece of Japanese modern architecture, while the grounds also feature a traditional Japanese garden that was once owned by the prestigious Iwasaki family. The new Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art will be housed in the upcoming west wing. Although no official opening date has been confirmed, the Asahi Shimbun reports that the new building is expected to open in 2030.
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