“Georges Rouault: Memories of the Artist’s Studio” Exhibition, Panasonic Shiodome Museum of Art

My impressions after viewing the “Georges Rouault: Memories of the Artist’s Studio” exhibition at the Panasonic Shiodome Museum in Shiodome, Tokyo in April 2026.

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Exhibition Overview
My impression
Summary
Reference links

Exhibition Overview

Memories of the Artist’s Studio
Saturday, April 11, 2026 – Sunday, June 21, 2026
Panasonic Shiodome Museum
Admission fee: General admission: 1,200 yen, one free entry with a valid Gurutto Pass.
A link to information about the Gurutto Pass is provided in the reference links section.

This exhibition consists of works from the Panasonic Shiodome Museum of Art’s collection and works on loan from the Georges Rouault Foundation. Photography is permitted only in designated areas. Notices regarding photography and its use are posted within the museum.

The exhibition is composed of the following five chapters and three columns.

Chapter 1: The École des Beaux-Arts Era: Gustave Moreau’s Atelier
Chapter 2: The Fauve Era – A Sharing Studio with Other Painters
- Column: Rouault’s Ceramics
Chapter 3: The 1920s and 1930s: Working in the Vollard Residence
- Column: Rouault’s Prints
Chapter 4: The 1940s-1950s – The Final Studio
- Column: Framing and Coloring on the Reverse Side
Chapter 5: Rouault’s “Studio Works”

My impression:”The back of the canvas and a view of the studio”

The highlights of this exhibition are the recreation of Rouault’s studio and the display of five works with visible backs of canvases.

My favorite period is the Fauvist era in Chapter 2. Due to his youth, the works possess a raw, powerful energy and a delicacy that foreshadows his later works. These characteristics set the works apart from his later, softer, and more delicate style, and they could only have been created during that period. Even familiar works can be viewed with a fresh perspective when displayed alongside other pieces and presented in different ways.

The exhibition includes the painting Nude, said to have been brought to Japan by Ryūzaburō Umehara. Considering this work as the origin of Japan’s experience with Rouault, I am grateful for the Japanese tendency to collect, which seems unique to them.

Looking at works from this period makes me realize that, even with artists whose work I follow, seeing their evolution helps me determine my favorite period. Following that evolution motivates me to continue appreciating art. Of course, it’s impossible to cover all artists, and it’s regrettable that only what is possible can be done, but that’s unavoidable.

With the cooperation of the Georges Rouault Foundation, the studio was recreated, and the foundation loaned the desk, stool, art supplies, and ébauches on display. Unfortunately, the exterior windows are just painted backdrops. It would have been wonderful if the studio had been recreated in a space with real windows, such as the former Tokyo Central Post Office Director’s Office in KITTE Marunouchi, which lets in natural light.

Additionally, the exhibition technique of displaying both sides of a work simultaneously is used for five pieces this time. Two of these pieces are finished works of art, and it is interesting that the backs of the other three can be viewed directly.

Chapter 2: Two Prostitutes (Front) / Portrait of a Woman (Back)
Chapter 4: Old Versailles (Front) / Flowers (Back)
Column: Coloring on the Frames and Reverse Sides: Flight into Egypt, Madeleine, Biblical Landscapes

Regarding the section on “Rouault’s Prints,” some prints from “Miserere” and “Reincarnations du Père Ubu” are on display. The collection includes 425 copies + 25 copies of “Miserere,” with print No. 57, and 305 copies + 30 copies of “Reincarnations du Père Ubu,” with print No. 265.

Summary

The long-awaited exhibition at the Panasonic Shidome Museum of Art is entirely dedicated to Rouault. The inclusion of a Gustave Moreau painting, “The Suffering of Orpheus, or Orpheus Weeping on Earth (Study),” was a welcome treat for fans of Moreau.

Reference links

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