Pola Museum of Art in Hakone, Kanagawa is presenting A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, an exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of Claude Monet's death and the museum's own 25th anniversary. The exhibition runs through April 7, 2027 (Wednesday). In a space where Monet's groundbreaking artistic "eye" — which opened a new era of painting — meets the "eye" of today's artists, visitors can experience Monet's work in a fresh new way.
Rather than tracing the connection between Monet's art and contemporary art as a straightforward line of art-historical development, the exhibition is organized around five themes — Camera, Time, River, Life, and Garden — that run across the galleries, loosely linking the inside and outside of the museum.
Outdoors, along the Forest Promenade surrounding the museum, Fujiko Nakaya's dynamic fog sculpture appears on the hour and half hour, pausing during the winter. It can be enjoyed alongside Susan Philipsz's sound installation Wind Wood, which resonates from deep within the forest.
The exhibition brings together the museum's collection of 19 Monet paintings — the largest collection of the artist's work in Asia — in a new dialogue and creative exchange with 18 contemporary artists from Japan and abroad.
Fujiko Nakaya, Fog Promenade Sengokuhara, Fog Sculpture #47721, 2026. Exhibition view: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, Pola Museum of Art, 2026. Photo: Shu Nakagawa
Exhibition Views
Su-Mei Tse, A Certain Frame Work 3 (Paris, Venice, Giverny) (detail), 2026, Pola Museum of Art. Exhibition view: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, Pola Museum of Art, 2026. Photo: Shu Nakagawa. © Su-Mei Tse
Noémie Goudal, The Story of Fixity, 2025, collection of the artist. Exhibition view: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, Pola Museum of Art, 2026. Photo: Shu Nakagawa. © Noémie Goudal, courtesy of the artist, Edel Assanti and Artangel
Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Exhibition view: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, Pola Museum of Art, 2026. Photo: Shu Nakagawa. Courtesy of Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation
Ritsue Mishima. Exhibition view: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, Pola Museum of Art, 2026. Photo: Shu Nakagawa. © Ritsue Mishima, courtesy of ShugoArts
Exhibition view: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, Pola Museum of Art, 2026. Photo: Shu Nakagawa
Exhibition view: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, Pola Museum of Art, 2026. Photo: Shu Nakagawa
Daniel Steegmann Mangrané. Exhibition view: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, Pola Museum of Art, 2026. Photo: Shu Nakagawa. Courtesy of the artist, Mendes Wood DM and Esther Schipper
Claude Monet, Roni Horn. Exhibition view: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, Pola Museum of Art, 2026. Photo: Shu Nakagawa
Lucas Arruda, Claude Monet. Exhibition view: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art, Pola Museum of Art, 2026. Photo: Shu Nakagawa. © Lucas Arruda, courtesy of the artist, David Zwirner and Mendes Wood DM
Related Programs
Summer Kids' Collage Workshop: "Let's Make Your Own Garden!"
- Date: Sunday, August 23, 2026, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
- Who: Elementary school 3rd grade through junior high school 3rd grade
- Capacity: 10 people. Advance registration required via Peatix — apply here
- Instructor: Yuko Nakajima (artist)
Elementary school participants must be accompanied by a guardian. Admission is free for junior high school age and younger; accompanying guardians should purchase an admission ticket on the day.
Lecture by Takayuki Hayashi: "Where the Candy Goes — Where Monet and Gonzalez-Torres Intersect"
Focusing mainly on the "Candy" series, this talk introduces Felix Gonzalez-Torres's representative works while exploring his unexpected connection with Claude Monet and the wide-ranging impact he had on the other 21st-century artists featured in this exhibition.
- Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026, 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
- Speaker: Takayuki Hayashi (Professor, Department of Aesthetics, Tokyo University of the Arts)
- Details here
Artist Talk by Yojiro Imasaka
- Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 2:00 PM (scheduled)
- Speaker: Yojiro Imasaka (participating artist)
Exhibition Overview
Exhibition: A New Perspective – Monet and 21st Century Art — marking the 100th anniversary of Monet's death and the museum's 25th anniversary
Official Website: polamuseum.or.jp/sp/the-new-vision
Dates: June 17 (Wednesday) – April 7, 2027 (Wednesday); open daily during the exhibition period. Closed December 1 (Tuesday).
Venue: Galleries 1, 2, and 4, Atrium Gallery, Lobby, and the Forest Promenade
Curators: Yoko Iwasaki (Chief Curator, Pola Museum of Art), Kota Suzuki (Senior Curator, Pola Museum of Art)
Participating artists: Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Émile Gallé, Lucas Arruda, Allora & Calzadilla, Merce Cunningham + Robert Rauschenberg, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Noémie Goudal, Roni Horn, Pierre Huyghe, Yojiro Imasaka, Amar Kanwar, Kapwani Kiwanga, Nile Koetting, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Ritsue Mishima, Fujiko Nakaya, Hinako Omori, Thao Nguyen Phan, Susan Philipsz, Wolfgang Tillmans, Su-Mei Tse, and others
Note: Fujiko Nakaya's outdoor installation is not on view once winter temperatures fall below freezing. Closure periods are announced on the museum's official website.
Museum Information
Pola Museum of Art
- Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last admission 4:30 PM)
- Address: 1285 Kozukayama, Sengokuhara, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa
- Official website: polamuseum.or.jp
