In 2015, the Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM) in Kyushu opened its doors with three goals in mind: engage visitors’ five senses through an exploration of art, shape the citizen of tomorrow with the art of today and yesterday and create a relaxing learning environment as comfortable as your living room.
For a day of history, art and local food, pencil in some time at OPAM during your next trip to Oita City.
The Permanent Collection
Photo by: Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM) Spend an afternoon browsing through the permanent collection.
Although OPAM is relatively new, it owes much to its predecessor, the Oita Prefectural Art Center which served as the city’s premier art museum from 1977 to 2012. OPAM inherited the former’s impressive collection of over 5000 pieces of paintings, sculptures, and other artwork. The museum takes pride in local artistic traditions and highlights works created by the Bungo Nanga school from the Edo to Taisho periods, including ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock prints), paintings and calligraphy. The modern art section consists of artists who embraced the turn towards realism as well as those struggling to capture life after the horrors of 20th-century warfare.
Temporary Exhibitions
Photo by: Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM) Artwork part of the Oita Bamboo and Arts exhibit.
OPAM hosts a number of annual exhibitions that spotlight Oita, Japan and the outside world. Past exhibitions have included a showing of contemporary art on loan from Osaka’s National Museum of Art and another showcasing the history of bamboo as an artistic medium. Many of these temporary exhibitions draw transnational connections between Japanese and non-Japanese artists. In the summer of 2023, for example, the museum displayed selected Western and Japanese 19th-century works from the Sumitomo Collection with the purpose of demonstrating both their shared and differing histories of art.
Exploring the Atrium
Photo by: Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM) The building itself is a work of art.
While the collection and exhibits have plenty to offer, there are quite a few pieces of artwork available to see for free in the Eurasian Garden on the first floor.
As you explore the ground floor, you’ll find café Charité, a minimalistic space with a few chairs and tables serving only drinks. From here, you’ll see several works, including Spirits, gigantic colorfully decorated eggs created by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders to commemorate the long relationship between Japan and Holland. As you examine the intricate faces on the surface, give the eggs a push and watch them sway back and forth, an interactive activity not only allowed but encouraged.
Hanging from the ceiling are a number of chandeliers crafted by Sudo Reiko which represent the drifting flora and fauna of the natural world.
