Impact : ★★☆☆☆
Space : ★★★☆☆
Originality : ★★☆☆☆
It is 7 p.m. on a Saturday in Chiba City, just outside Tokyo. I walk through the museum’s calm galleries, suddenly find one of On Kawara’s orange date paintings, and simply cannot walk away.
Chiba City Museum of Art is a public museum in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture. It is less than a 20-minute walk from JR Chiba Station. The museum shares an 11-story building with the Chuo Ward Office.
I chose to write about this museum because it has many works by artists I love. It also stays open until the evening, so it is often quiet. I can enjoy the art in a relaxed atmosphere.
The museum has exhibition galleries on the 5th, 7th, and 8th floors. The ticket counter is on the 8th floor. The museum usually holds special exhibitions on the 7th and 8th floors and shows works from its permanent collection on the 5th floor. The 7th and 8th floors have eight galleries in total. Since the museum is inside a city building, the galleries are not very large. Even so, the biggest gallery is about 15 by 15 meters. It has enough space for large artworks.
The museum’s collection focuses mainly on Japanese artists. It includes works by many well-known artists from the modern and contemporary periods, such as Kazuo Shiraga, Shuzo Takiguchi, Yayoi Kusama, Tatsuo Kawaguchi, On Kawara, Toeko Tatsuno, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Tatsuo Miyajima.
One reason I like this museum is its collection of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Seascapes. I also like its collection of On Kawara’s date paintings. The museum owns 12 date paintings with orange backgrounds. Most of On Kawara’s date paintings have dark gray backgrounds, so the orange ones are very rare. When I saw them, I stood there in surprise. I could hardly believe what I was looking at.
If you are a fan of On Kawara, I strongly recommend checking the exhibition schedule before your visit. You may have a chance to see these rare works.
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I also visited the museum’s 30th anniversary exhibition in 2025. It featured 18 works by Yayoi Kusama. I was surprised because I saw some of her works in a style I had never seen before.
I have seen only part of the museum’s collection, so I cannot make a definite judgment. Even so, I feel the collection has a clear vision and a high standard. I think you can expect to see excellent works here.
One thing I really like about this museum is its opening hours. On Fridays and Saturdays, it stays open until 8 p.m. Very few museums in the Tokyo area offer evening hours like this, so I really appreciate it.
The biggest advantage is that the museum is usually quiet in the evening. I can enjoy the exhibitions at a relaxed pace without large crowds. If there is a special exhibition you want to see, I recommend visiting on a Friday or Saturday evening.
The building also has a space called Saya-do Hall on the first floor. When I visited the museum, I found installation art there on two of my three visits. It was a beautiful space, so I recommend taking a look.
Visited in 2018, 2020, 2025
Basic Information
■ Name : Chiba City Museum of Art
■ Address : 3 Chome-10-8 Central, Chuo Ward, Chiba, 260-0013
■ Homepage : https://www.ccma-net.jp/
