Hida Takayama Museum of Art, which offers a new kind of artistic experience woven from light, sound, and scent (Location: 1-124-1 Kamiokamoto-cho, Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, within Sanctuary Court Takayama / Director: 向井公規), is currently holding the special exhibition "Japonisme and Art Nouveau Masters — Views of Nature from East and West" through Monday, February 15, 2027.
In the latter half of the 19th century, Japanese art crossed the sea and made a powerful impression on European artists. The bold compositions found in ukiyo-e woodblock prints and the delicate attentiveness to nature stirred the creative imagination of artists searching for new modes of expression, giving rise to the cultural movement known as Japonisme. This exhibition explores how Art Nouveau masters, led by Emile Gallé, were influenced by Japanese art and spirituality and how they transformed that influence into their own work. Along with views of the exhibition space, this report introduces a selection of the show's signature pieces and highlights.
Exhibition Overview
Exhibition: "Japonisme and Art Nouveau Masters — Views of Nature from East and West"
Period: Through Monday, February 15, 2027 (open every day during the run)
Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (last admission at 5:00 PM); on the final day only, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (last admission at 11:00 AM)
Inquiries: 0577-40-1007 (Hida Takayama Museum of Art, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM)
Exhibition Highlights
1. New Artistic Expression Born from a Longing for Japan
Japonisme, which spread across Europe at the end of the 19th century, brought major change to the worlds of fine art and craft. This exhibition focuses on how artists captivated by Japanese views of nature and decorative traditions incorporated them into their work, inviting visitors to experience the new artistic expression born where two cultures met.
Daum Brothers, Heron and Water Lily Vase (detail)
2. East and West Sensibilities Connected by an Eye for Nature
A delicate, observant eye turned toward small forms of life in the natural world — grasses and flowers, insects, birds — is a shared hallmark of Japanese art and Art Nouveau. This section examines how the masters perceived the beauty of natural forms and rendered it in glass and furniture, down to the finest craftsmanship that seems to capture the very breath of life.
Emile Gallé, Armchair
3. Rediscovering Japanese Beauty in Hida Takayama
Hida Takayama, where old townscapes and festivals such as the Takayama Matsuri still live on today, is the setting for this exhibition. By looking again at the "beauty of Japan" that Western artists once admired, visitors can rediscover the appeal of their own aesthetic sensibilities. Enjoy an immersive presentation of light, sound, and scent, along with an exchange of aesthetic sensibility that transcends era and border.
Old townscape of Hida Takayama
Featured Works (Selection)
Emile Gallé, Chrysanthemum-Patterned Crane-Neck Vase
Made in: France / Year: circa 1900
This vase impresses with an elegant design evoking blooming chrysanthemums and a slender, crane-neck form. Delicate ornamentation and flowing curves come together in quiet, dignified elegance. As a work that symbolizes the world of this exhibition, it brings a striking flourish to the opening of the exhibition space.
Emile Gallé, Decorative Fan "Cockfight"
Made in: France / Year: 1878
An early masterwork by Gallé, this fan-shaped glass piece is enameled with a design evoking cockfighting and old Imari ware. The feathers, gaze, and even the beak of the rooster are rendered with such fine detail that the figure seems ready to move. It quietly tells the story of how an encounter with Japanese art was distilled into Gallé's own distinctive style of expression.
Emile Gallé, Nesting Tables
Made in: France / Year: circa 1900
This set of furniture combines function and decoration, with four tables nesting neatly inside one another. Dahlia carvings adorn the legs, and marquetry of plant motifs decorates the tabletops, each bearing a different floral pattern that brings rich expression to the space. Reaching beyond the bounds of glasswork, this piece conveys Gallé's creative vision of bringing beauty to everyday life itself.
"Find the Creatures!" Kids Program (Held Concurrently)
This program invites visitors to search the exhibited works for the small creatures hidden within them. By paying attention to how each artist viewed living creatures and nature, visitors can deepen their understanding of Art Nouveau and Art Deco glasswork, making it a great fit for a summer vacation project, too.
Period: Through Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (last admission at 5:00 PM)
Price: Free (museum admission fee applies separately)
Details: At the museum reception desk, visitors receive a worksheet focused on creatures. Using it, they search at their own pace for which works the creatures shown in the photos appear on. After filling in the worksheet, reception staff check the answers, and visitors who get every answer correct receive a sticker.
※Elementary school-age children and younger must be accompanied by a guardian.
About Hida Takayama Museum of Art
Hida Takayama Museum of Art holds and displays masterpieces of Art Nouveau and Art Deco gathered from around the world, including Emile Gallé's flower vessel "Roses of France" and René Lalique's "Fountain of the Champs-Élysées Shopping Arcade." Since it first opened in 1997, it earned high acclaim as the "former Hida Takayama Museum of Art," including seven consecutive Michelin Guide three-star ratings, and it was reborn in 2024 within "Sanctuary Court Takayama Art Gallery Resort." Under the concept of an "Artrium unleashed by brilliance," the museum creates a fantastical space where light, sound, and scent come together. Music, color, and aroma that shift in response to the natural sounds and seasonal changes of Hida Takayama envelop visitors' senses, offering an artistic experience that changes with time.
Address: 1-124-1 Kamiokamoto-cho, Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture (within Sanctuary Court Takayama)
Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (last admission at 5:00 PM)
Admission: General: Adults ¥2,000 / University and high school students ¥1,800 / Junior high school students ¥1,300 / Elementary school students ¥500
Local resident discount: 50% off the general price (free for elementary school-age children and younger)
Visitors with a disability certificate: Adults ¥1,200 / University and high school students ¥1,080 / Junior high school students ¥780 / Elementary school students ¥300
Official website: https://htma.rtg.jp/
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hidatakayama_museum_of_art/
Inquiries: 0577-40-1007 (Hida Takayama Museum of Art, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM)
※All admission prices include tax.
※The local resident discount applies to residents of Takayama City, Hida City, Gero City, and Shirakawa Village.
※Visitors with a disability certificate may bring one companion at the same discounted price.
※Students and visitors using the disability or local resident discounts are asked to present proof at the reception desk.
※Photos are for illustrative purposes only.
※Details are subject to change.
