Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art

Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art is a prefectural museum in the Moriai district of southeastern Fukushima City, at the foot of Mt. Shinobu. It opened in July 1984 on the site of a former Fukushima University campus, and stands beside the Fukushima Prefectural Library. It was designed by Otaka Architects.

The museum closed in August 2020 for renovation, including reinforcing the ceilings and elevators and converting the gallery lighting entirely to LED, and reopened on May 22, 2021.

One pillar of the collection is work by artists connected with Fukushima. In Western-style painting, the core is Sekine Shōji, born in Shirakawa, together with other Taishō-era painters such as Yasui Sōtarō, Kishida Ryūsei, Murayama Kaita, Matsumoto Shunsuke and Hasegawa Toshiyuki. In Japanese-style painting, the focus is Sakai Sanryō, alongside Shimomura Kanzan, Hayami Gyoshū, Ogawa Usen and Ikeda Yōson. The woodblock prints of Saitō Kiyoshi, from Aizubange, form a notable collection, joined by works of Onchi Kōshirō, Hasegawa Kiyoshi and Komai Tetsurō.

The other pillar is overseas art. Among the European works are Monet's "Meadow at Giverny," Gauguin's "Breton Children" and Rouault's "Miserere" series, and sculpture includes Rodin ("Bust of Madame Fenaille on a Column") and Marini's "Horseman." Twentieth-century American figurative painting is represented by Ben Shahn's "Lucky Dragon" and Wyeth's "Baron Pine Cone." Modern ceramics and textiles by Shimizu Uichi, Suzuki Osamu, Yuzuki Samiro and others are also held. Works rotate in the permanent exhibition, so what you see depends on when you visit.

Allow roughly one to two hours for the permanent and special exhibitions. The museum is easy to reach by public transport: about 3 minutes on foot from Bijutsukan-Toshokan-mae Station on the Fukushima Kōtsū Iizaka Line, or by city loop bus from the east exit of JR Fukushima Station to Kenritsu Bijutsukan Iriguchi and about 4 minutes on foot. There is a restaurant inside, and because the parking lot can be crowded during special exhibitions, trains and buses are convenient.

Nearby, Hanamiyama Park (about 4.8 km), famous for spring blossoms, and the old hot spring town of Iizaka Onsen (about 7 km) are within driving distance, so the museum fits well into a day of sightseeing in Fukushima.