In numbers of eyeballs on artworks Tokyo is the unchallenged World capital of art, so there's always plenty to see (and some of it's even free!). In our art picks this month, how about some Western pop art, Japanese anime, some heavily-curated contemporary stuff, and early 20th-century Japanese Western art -- not to mention some Viennese knick-knacks and a legend of Parisian painting?
Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century (1980) 10 silkscreen prints on vellum paper framed separately, courtesy of the Foundation Louis Vuitton. Paris
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Movie Trilogy - Promotional Poster Original Illustration, 1981 © Sotsu Sunrise
YOSHIKAZU YASUHIKO
A retrospective of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (born 1947), a key manga artist with an iconic eye, who was the character designer and anime director of classics like Mobile Suit Gundam and others (Arion, Venus Senki, Namji the Great Lord, Rainbow Trotsky, and Dogs of the Royal Road, etc). The exhibition at Shibuya's SHOTO MUSEUM OF ART introduces works spanning 50 years, including previously unexhibited anime production materials. A great chance to geek out!
Now - 1st February
PRICE: ¥1,o00.
ANDY WARHOL - SERIAL PORTRAITS
It was David Bowie who famously sang, "Andy Warhol, hang him on your wall..." Well, that is exactly what ESPACE LOUIS VUITTON TOKYO have gone and done with their "Andy Warhol – Serial Portraits" show, upstairs from their ritzy luggage shop in Omotesando. As the title hints, the exhibition takes a more personal turn, with drawings, photos, and prints of various people, some of them world famous and others anonymous members of Warhol's inner circle. It's completely free, so remember to show your gratitude by buying a handbag on the way out.
Now - 15th February, 2026.
PRICE: Free
A.A.Murakami, New Spring, 2017, Aluminum, robotics, bubble, fog, and scent
Installation view: Studio Swine x COS, New Spring, Salone del Mobile 2017, Milan
ROPPONGI CROSSING
Every three years the MORI ART MUSUEM calls in the heavy-weight curators from around the world and puts on its "big serious group show," pitching it as a "snapshot" of the contemporary Japanese art scene. The subtitle of this year's exhibition -- "What Passes Is Time. We Are Eternal" -- points to concerns with the temporal and the spiritual, and includes works from around 20 artists based in Japan or Japanese artists working overseas. Painting, sculpture, and video vie with embroidery, ceramics and other media.
3rd December – 12th March, 2025
PRICE: ¥2,000.
Nude Woman and White Cloth, 1929, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
NARASHIGE KOIDE
This exhibition at the FUCHU ART MUSEUM in Tokyo's Western suburbs looks pretty much like the one I saw at the Yokohama Sogo Museum back in 2001! It certainly features a lot of the same works. But that said, it's well worth a visit, as there is something haunting and memorable about Koide's placid and lugubrious oils. Not to mention his life story, that of a young, sickly Japanese artist whose fascination with Western style painting led him to Paris and and back, and to the creation of peculiarly Japanese version of Western art.
20th December - 1st March, 2026.
PRICE: ¥800.
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Chair, c.1820, Solid mahogany, mahogany veneer, ebony inlays, textile, Asembaum Collection, © Asembaum Photo Collection / Koloman Moser, Armchair (c.1903) Prag-Rudniker, beech, cane, Toyota Municipal Museum of Art
VIENNESE STYLE
Subtitled "Biedermeier through Fin de Siècle," this exhibition presents a fascinating tale of very early modernism—the early 19th-century Biedermeier era of design, its later eclipse by more "backward looking" styles in the mid-to-late-19th century, and its revival by designers in the fin-de-siècle period. The PANASONIC SHIODOME MUSEUM OF ART may verge a little on the small side, but their exhibitions are always very well presented and pack a lot in. Featuring a rich array of silverware, ceramics, glassware, jewellery, dresses, and furniture that may surprise you with their sleek lines and iconic designs. REVIEWED HERE
Now - 17th December.
PRICE: ¥1500
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La Petite Communiante, Eglise de Deuil, Maurice Utrillo (1930) © Hélène Bruneau 2025
MAURICE UTRILLO
Maurice Utrillo holds a special place in the hearts of Japanese art fans, so every few years a big show comes to town and this one at the SOMPO MUSEUM OF ART is it! Organized in cooperation with Paris's own Musée National d'Art Moderne (MNAM), it brings together approximately 70 oil paintings, including works from the MNAM's collection, along with about 10 archival items from the Association Maurice Utrillo. Enjoy the vibe of Paris as the ultimate art city. REVIEWED HERE
Now – 14th December.
PRICE: ¥1,800.
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